Five of Crozer Health's outpatient facilities in Delaware County have been acquired by ChristianaCare, the Wilmington-based health care system.
ChristianaCare said Wednesday it bid $50.3 million for the five facilities in highly competitive auction. The five locations acquired by ChristianaCare are at:
• 300 Evergreen Drive, Glen Mills
• 500 Evergreen Drive, Glen Mills
• 2010 West Chester Pike, Havertown
• 30 Lawrence Road, Broomall (Crozer Health Division of Robotic Surgery)
• 200 E. State St., Media
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The acquisition now heads to bankruptcy court in Dallas for approval, which ChristianaCare anticipates in the "near future." The company said it is actively assessing the programs and services that are provided at these outpatient centers to determine which services to continue, expand or restart.
After years of financial strife within Crozer Health and its parent company Prospect Medical Holdings' organizations, a bankruptcy court judge approved the closures of Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland and Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park in April. Prospect previously had closed two other hospitals in Delaware County. The closures left patients scrambling for next steps and left thousands of employees without work.
According to CBS News, the facilities acquired by ChristianaCare were profitable enough to not be included in the closure of other Crozer Health facilities. Other medical facilities within the Crozer Health system were independently run, which allowed them to avoid the sudden closures, but it caused confusion about which Crozer Health facilities were still open.
In a statement, ChristianaCare President and CEO Janice Nevin said her company's acquisition aims to provide "stability and continuity of access to care for patients."
The company has planned for more than a year to open three small hospitals in Southeastern Pennsylvania — two in Delaware County and one in Chester County — and said the acquisition of the outpatient facilities would help bolster these hospitals.
"These facilities will complement the new campuses and neighborhood hospitals we are building in southeastern Pennsylvania — and together they will significantly expand our network of care," Jennifer Schwartz, chief strategy and legal officer for ChristianaCare, said in a statement.
The hospitals are expected to operate 24/7 and each have about 10 inpatient beds and a full-service emergency department. They also each will have a health and wellness center and a large network of outpatient services "based on community needs," according to ChristianaCare.
The first hospital is slated to open in West Grove, Chester County this summer, with another opening in Aston, Delaware County, in 2026, Schwartz said. ChristianaCare is continuing to "explore options" for its second hospital in Delaware County.
