Crozer Closing Hearing Update
Rep. Leanne Krueger April 22, 2025 | 6:32 PM
Before I drove to the Capitol today, I joined Crozer employees in solidarity in front of Crozer-Chester Hospital at a press conference organized by the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, the largest union that represents the people who work at Crozer and Taylor Hospitals. The mood was somber as healthcare worker after healthcare worker described how the patients they serve today will be devastated by the closure. Some of them were in tears as they called on the bankruptcy judge in Texas to hold Prospect accountable for the havoc they have caused in Delaware County.
An hour later, over 700 people viewed today’s hearing in Texas online and the hearing lasted almost 2.5 hours. The judge adjourned the hearing and permitted Prospect’s lawyers to move forward with the hospital closures but did not officially approve Prospect’s closure plan (which is changing daily but currently calls for closing services by April 28 and putting the real estate assets up for bid by April 25). The judge asked the lawyers to submit revised language to her to address concerns brought up during the hearing by 9am tomorrow and we are expecting another hearing next week on April 30th.
During today’s hearing, Delaware County’s attorney objected to Prospect’s request for exculpation, which means they want to clear themselves from liability once they close, requesting a release in advance to clear themselves from future guilt. The judge seemed to share the County’s concerns and asked for revised language on that section of the plan by tomorrow morning.
Today we heard concerns of patients being discharged too quickly in a way that is unsafe. During the hearing, Patient Ombudsman Suzanne Koenig committed to work with PASNAP’s attorney when she is onsite in Delco tomorrow to investigate allegations that social workers are being threatened by Prospect if they don’t get their patients discharged. The Crisis Unit at Crozer-Chester is currently full and there are 7,000 in-patient and out-patient patients that are covered by Crozer behavioral health who could be without services when they close.
In response to a request for a lawyer representing Ridley School District, the Borough of Ridley Park, Upland Borough and Aston Township who objected to the 10-day period to cease EMS services (which serves over half of Delaware County), the judge said that she would not force Prospect to comply with current state law to keep EMS open for 90 days. She did order that Prospect needed to speak with their lawyer to explore options for transferring EMS equipment to local municipalities that want to start running their own ALS vehicles.
All in all, it was a disappointing hearing. I hoped to see the judge do more to hold Prospect accountable and she went easy on them today.
My Facebook page and website will continue to have the latest news on Prospect Medical Holdings’ bankruptcy filing and the state of Crozer Health