PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Delaware County Memorial Hospital won’t be closing, at least for now. A judge ordered that it stay open.
Common Pleas Court Judge Robert Shenkin granted an injunction requested by the Foundation for Delaware County.
Nothing can be done to change the way the hospital is operating, so it is business as usual, for now. The judge said both sides — the foundation and the hospital’s parent company, Prospect Medical Holdings — must meet within the next few days and then come back to the judge with the results of the meeting.
At the heart of the matter is how the Delaware County Memorial Hospital building will be used going forward. The county and the foundation say it needs to remain a hospital to serve the community. If Prospect Medical Holdings were to deviate from that — and get rid of intensive and emergency care — then that would break the promise to keep the hospital open through 2026, unless they got permission to close.
Prospect, which took over when it bought Crozer Health, said it is not breaking promises because the building would stay open but as a behavioral health facility.
County officials are happy with the decision. Some were concerned that if it were to close or change its focus, there would be a public health issue, since other hospitals could become overburdened.
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