When Crozer Health collapsed last year, Delaware County lost more than a hospital system. It lost its largest ambulance service.
Now, a $275,000 grant from the Wawa Foundation is helping Main Line Health fill the void.
The funding, according to Sarah Gantz of The Philadelphia Inquirer, will allow Main Line Health EMS to purchase a new ambulance, bringing its fleet to nine vehicles at a moment when demand has never been higher.
Ambulance calls to Main Line Health EMS, based at Riddle Hospital in Media, have doubled since Crozer shut down after its owner, Prospect Medical Holdings, filed for bankruptcy.
The closure didn’t just affect patients; it devastated the low-income communities that Crozer and its sister facility, Taylor Hospital, had long served.
Main Line Health has moved quickly to fill the gap. The health system has hired additional EMS workers, expanded non-emergency transportation services and launched an EMT apprentice program aimed at building a stronger local workforce for the long term.
“With the Wawa Foundation’s timely support, we will be better equipped when patients need us most,” said Shelly Buck, president of ambulatory and professional services for Main Line Health.
The grant is a meaningful step, but it also underscores just how much work remains as Delaware County works to rebuild an emergency response system that residents depend on.
For the full story on how Delaware County is rebuilding its emergency response landscape, head over to The Philadelphia Inquirer to read the complete article.
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