Crozer Health maintains that closing Delaware County Memorial Hospital and converting it to a behavioral health care facility is still the best strategy for Delaware County, writes John George for Philadelphia Business Journal.

“Crozer Health is confident that transitioning Delaware County Memorial Hospital to a behavioral health facility with an urgent care center is the best way to meet the changing needs of our community and ensure that residents can access the mental health and substance abuse services they need,” Crozer Health said in a statement.

The nonprofit charitable organization Foundation for Delaware County petitioned a Common Pleas judge to temporarily stop the hospital’s closing while both sides discuss its future.

Crozer Health said it has worked with local representatives to reach a resolution, but described the court’s order and the Foundation’s lawsuit as creating an “untenable situation”.

The Foundation was created when Prospect bought the Crozer-Keystone Health System in 2016. 

The purchase agreement required Crozer Health to maintain acute care services at its four hospitals for 10 years, or until June 2026. It also required the Foundation’s consent before it closed a hospital, according to the Foundation’s argument.

Read more about the current status of Delaware County Memorial Hospital at Philadelphia Business Journal.