Crozer Health system remains open for now as efforts to secure $9M continue

It's been something of a roller coaster for for staff members at the Crozer Health System over the past few weeks.

And, once again, the healthcare system is on the brink of closure.

Just two weeks ago, the healthcare system received a last minute influx of $26 million to keep the doors open.

Officials had said if another $9 million doesn't appear by 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, 2025, Prospect Medical Holdings, the company that owns the health system, could begin shutdown procedures for the two hospitals facing closure -- Crozer Chester-Medical Center and Taylor Hospital -- as soon as 4 p.m. on Thursday.

However, officials shared that after a meeting late Wednesday afternoon, efforts to secure the $9 million remain ongoing and that a closure notice will not be issued for now.

It's a move that would likely cost 3,000 medical care providers their jobs.

"This is about people's lives, and we have said this all along. And, you can close us and begin on Thursday, but where are the patients going to go next week?" asked Peggy Malone, a nurse in the Crozer Health System.

If closure procedures begin, officials said, patients would be moved to other medical facilities.

But, for those who use these hospitals and members of the community, losing the facilities would mean more than simply shuffling patients around.

"All the patients who, everyday beg us, 'this can't be real, you can't really be closing...'" said Laura Lambert, a nurse in the Crozer Health System.

For local residents, like Bobby C -- who didn't want NBC10 to use his full name -- the closure of these hospitals means losing a community resource. In fact, he said, his whole family was born at Crozer.

"To lose a hospital when we're in need and the poor folks... where else can they go?" he wondered.

The move could also put a strain on other hospitals in the region, worried many in the community.

"We need a hero to come in and save this system. We cannot have these hospitals go out of service. It's going to mean life or death," said Kate Denney, paramedic president for the Crozer Paramedic Association.

In a statement on the possible closure, Crozer Health said that it is working to come to a long term solution that would "serve the best interest of Delaware County."

"Crozer Health, the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Prospect Medical Holdings, and FTI Consulting as the receiver are committed to sustaining operations and working toward a long-term solution that will serve the best interest of Delaware County," the company said in a statement to NBC10.

Officials said that more information would be released following a hearing set for Thursday.