While it’s already been a few months since the closure of Crozer-Chester Medical Center, it seems Delaware County is still only in the beginning stages of chaos. Longer ambulance rides and waiting room times are putting residents in dangerous positions and doctors are under more stress than usual. As many news outlets have noted, Delaware County, one of the most densely populated metro regions in America, is now considered a “healthcare desert.”
Crozer Health, a four-hospital health system, was acquired by Prospect Medical Holdings in 2016. Prospect, a for-profit company, is based in Los Angeles and has bought out multiple hospitals within California and the Northeast. At the time of this purchase, Prospect was already in serious debt, which only increased. In 2018, Prospect took out a $1.1 billion loan against its own holdings, of which nearly $457 million was paid to investors, with CEO Sam Lee pocketing about $90 million of that.
All of this occurred as Prospect’s holdings began to deteriorate, including the four-hospital Crozer Health system. In 2022, both Springfield and Delaware County Memorial Hospitals closed. In early 2025, Prospect filed for bankruptcy and, a few months later, announced Crozer-Chester would close. Despite community backlash, Crozer shut its doors in early May, leaving staff out of work and thousands of patients with one less option for emergency needs.
What happened to Crozer is undoubtedly a failure to the nearly 600,000 residents of Delaware County who are now served by only two hospitals: Riddle and Mercy Fitzgerald. It puts everyone, especially low-income households, in a precarious position. This also comes at a time when many are worrying if they will remain eligible for Medicare benefits.
Healthcare workers and public officials have warned there are nowhere near enough healthcare resources. While Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and lawmakers have mentioned drafting legislation that would prevent corporations like Prospect from buying hospital systems, it will likely take years for anything to get signed into law and will not undo the damage already inflicted upon Delaware County.
