Penn Medicine to acquire the former Brandywine Hospital
COATESVILLE, PA. - According to a statement from Tower Health, the company has signed a letter of intent to finalize Penn Medicine’s acquisition of the former Brandywine Hospital, which shut down last January.
Chester County commissioners are celebrating the news, as they believe it marks the return of accessible medical care for Coatesville residents.
"What it means to them is a lifeline; you have a heart attack, you don’t have to spend 45 minutes in an ambulance hoping you get there in time," says Marian Moskowitz, Chair of the Chester County Board of Commissioners.
Per Chester County commissioners, this agreement emerged as a result of a partnership between Penn Medicine and the V-A Medical Center. While they cannot yet release information concerning Penn’s intentions for the new medical center, Moskowitz has expressed hope that their plans include vital emergency services.
"At this point there’s still no guarantee it will be an acute care hospital with an emergency room," she said. "I can’t speak for Penn I believe they are looking for that and that is what we’re hoping for to have an emergency room."
Coatesville resident Taylor Gustafson says that while she and her family have become familiar with the near half-hour drive from their home to Chester County Hospital, she is excited by the prospect of having a hospital close by for when urgent medical needs arise.
"Emergencies always pop up, so it’s good to have something close, reassuring," Gustafson says.
The impact of the gap left by Brandywine’s closure was felt throughout Chester County. Goodwill Fellowship Ambulance, which services 10 Chester County Townships including the borough of West Chester, suffered longer transport times for patients and arrived to increased wait times at remaining county hospitals like Chester County Hospital.
As Chaz Brogan, Chester County EMS Council President says, "We have a lot of capabilities in the back of an ambulance, but we don’t have all the capabilities, so I’m sure there certainly have been circumstances where not having an emergency department close by did impact the patient."
According to Brogan, Chester County emergency responders are looking forward to seeing whether Penn’s new medical center can alleviate some of the stress put on the county’s emergency services.
"We’ve seen other letters of intent too, so we really want to see the deal get fully executed and see a free-standing hospital hopefully," Brogan says. "We all hope that it’s an acute care hospital, but that may not be the case."
The decision lies with Penn, which has not yet responded to FOX 29’s for comment or released an official statement. Details will likely be shared soon, as Chester County commissioners say they were told that Penn Medicine hopes to close the deal by the end of the year.