PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — There were more questions than answers Tuesday following a bankruptcy hearing for Prospect Medical Holdings — the private equity firm that owns Crozer Chester Medical Center and Taylor Hospital.
On Monday, the firm filed a motion to shutter the two Delaware County Crozer Health hospitals, potentially putting more than 2,500 people out of work, many of whom gathered outside Crozer to urge the judge in Tuesday’s hearing to stop the closure. They say this is not just a matter of dollars and cents or statistics on a graph, it’s a matter of life and death.
Dr. Max Cooper said a man rushed into Crozer Tuesday morning after suffering a heart attack, his heart stopping as he arrived in the emergency room. He was resuscitated and is in the ICU. Cooper says if he had had to drive an extra 15 or 30 minutes to the next hospital, he would be dead.
Melanie McKendry is a medical assistant at Crozer and says patients have been calling “nonstop, distraught, begging, and asking us where we're going,” and they don't have an answer.
Testimony Tuesday revealed that the closure plan will be difficult, as it involves many stakeholders, and will likely change many times during the transition.
The judge agreed that the only option at this point is to move forward with the closure plan.
A timeline has not been given. However, after hearing from both sides of the case, the judge ordered a revised plan with amended language to be filed with the court by 9 a.m. Wednesday.
The judge also approved Prospect to sell assets not owned by Crozer. That includes outpatient facilities in Broomall, Glen Mills, Havertown and Media. Bids have to be in by Friday.