Pa. orders closure of emergency operations at Delaware County Memorial Hospital

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has ordered a closure of the emergency department at Delaware County Memorial Hospital starting Monday morning because of a lack of staffing, but county officials said Friday night that they are exploring legal options to keep it open.

The suspension of emergency department services at the hospital in Upper Darby starting at 7 a.m. Monday does not impact any outpatient services the hospital is offering, the state Health Department said in an email late Friday.

“The [Pa.] department continues to actively monitor the situation at Delaware County Memorial Hospital to ensure patient safety is prioritized. Patients who would have gone to Delaware County Memorial Hospital are urged to go the next closest hospital for treatment and to call 9-1-1 in an emergency,” the state Health Department said.

In a statement, Delaware County officials blamed the reported lack of staffing on Prospect Medical Holdings Inc., the owner of Crozer Health, which runs the hospital.

”Prospect’s recent history, including its September 21 announcement of its intention to close DCMH within 60 days, shows a gross lack of concern for the well-being of Delaware County residents,” the county said in its statement.

In mid-October, a Common Pleas Court judge ordered Crozer Health and Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. to halt efforts to close the hospital and turn it into a behavioral health facility.

The ruling followed a hearing on Foundation for Delaware County’s petition for an emergency preliminary injunction that would block Crozer’s plans to eliminate the emergency department and the few remaining acute-care services at the hospital in Upper Darby.

The foundation represents the interests of the former nonprofit owner of the Crozer-Keystone Health System, which Los Angeles-based Prospect acquired in 2016 for $300 million, most of which went to pay off liabilities. Ultimately, the foundation collected $55 million from the sale.

Crozer filed a layoff notice with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor with a closure date of Nov. 26, saying it would eliminate the jobs of 258 union workers plus those of 76 others. Crozer said all of the impacted workers would be able to get jobs elsewhere at Crozer.