Nurses, elected officials rally ahead of operating room closing at Taylor Hospital
Delaware Co. nurses, elected officials rally ahead of operating room closing at Taylor Hospital
Nurses at Taylor Hospital joined the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, along with state and local officials, to rally outside of Taylor Hospital, days away from their operating room services closing.
RIDLEY PARK, Pa. - The concern continues for adequate healthcare in Delaware County.
Nurses at Taylor Hospital joined the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals, along with state and local officials, to rally outside of Taylor Hospital, days away from their operating room services closing.
They once again blasted the for-profit, California-based owner of Crozer Health, Prospect Medical Holdings about the latest closure, following the closure of Delaware County Memorial and Springfield Hospitals in 2022. The staff say their last day is tomorrow.
Delaware County in 'emergency response situation' as Crozer Health threatens more closures
Delaware County's largest healthcare provider, Crozer Health, announced a series of temporary and permanent closures of services, unless it receives $24 million.
"We saw what happened to them and of course it’s very scary, we don’t know what’s to happen to us and we’re pretty scared. We’re frightened," says Kim Fox, a registered nurse of 29 years, recently working in the OR at Taylor Hospital.
Katie Denney, President of the Crozer-Chester Paramedics Association, says if a resident has an issue like a burst appendix, they can no longer go to Taylor Hospital.
"As of September 1st, the Taylor community will not have access to very basic healthcare," she says.
State officials say Prospect was ordered by the court to sell to a non-profit within 270 days as of February 1st. In August, they announced an agreement of sale with CHA Partners LLC, which the Pennsylvania Attorney General will review. Shortly after that announcement, there was notice that Taylor Hospital’s OR would abruptly close.
"We, as local elected officials, had no idea that this closure is coming," says State Rep. Leanne Krueger. "We need to get this system back into locally controlled non-profit’s hands as soon as we possibly can."
In a statement, Crozer Health’s CEO Tony Esposito said:
"We have made a strategic decision to consolidate our surgical services to our tertiary campus, Crozer-Chester Medical Center, located approximately 3.9 miles from Taylor Hospital. This decision follows a thorough evaluation of our surgical case volumes and staffing changes. Taylor Hospital, which has been averaging three to four surgical cases per day, will no longer provide surgical services due to a reduction in general surgeons and a need to optimize our resources.
Taylor Hospital will continue to serve the community by offering comprehensive non-surgical care and emergency services. We remain committed to delivering high-quality care and supporting the health needs of our patients."
Joan Miller, who says she has continued to go to Taylor Hospital for care since getting her tonsils removed there when she was 8 or 9-years-old, just got a call that she can no longer have her hand surgery there.
"Very upsetting and I just hope somebody is able to pull this thing together," she says.
FOX 29 reached out to Prospect Medical Holdings for a statement, but we are still waiting to hear back.