PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — In the wake of the Crozer healthcare system’s exit from Delaware County, officials are implementing a coordinated response to the closures.
There are now only two hospitals left in the county, Riddle Hospital in Media and Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital in Darby. Delaware County Council Chair Dr. Monica Taylor said officials are working closely with those facilities to make sure they have what they need.
“We have a weekly call with those who are feeling the brunt of the closures to make sure we have an idea of how we can help them, what are the questions, what are their needs, and how we can best support them,” she said.
“We’ve had working groups going through everything from healthcare sustainability, to how do we help support the hospitals, to our public health response, are we getting out there to the community, and how can they reach out if they have questions.”
As a part of the county’s response, Taylor said temporary EMS services have been provided to fill in the service that was previously handled by Crozer.
“It has allowed our municipalities some time to be able to go through their RFP processes to be able to figure out how they are going to find the funds to support this,” she said.
With no trauma centers left in Delaware County, at least three regional providers are now providing helicopter support for emergencies to residents, according to Taylor. The county’s emergency services team has taken training courses on how to utilize air support.
“How to safely do it. When to call it in. How to site all around the county, where they can land a helicopter,” she said.
The next step, she said, is getting a mental and behavioral health provider.
To help support them with individuals who are coming in any sort of mental health or behavioral health distress,” she said. “We did put out an RFP for crisis services to have a new provider come into that space. We are currently going through those proposals.”
The response plan is ongoing, and Taylor said it will constantly be tweaked and improved to help residents with their most important needs.