Medical workers in Delaware County rally in final plea to keep Crozer Health hospitals open
UPLAND, Pa. (WPVI) -- Medical workers in Delaware County are rallying in a final plea to keep Crozer Health hospitals open.
Action News was there as employees expressed their outrage outside Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland, Pa. on Tuesday.
They are pleading for a last-ditch effort to find a solution for patients and employees of both Crozer-Chester and Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park.
Crozer Health's parent company, Prospect Medical Holdings, is shutting down, despite months of negotiations and efforts to keep it from happening.
It's all coming to an end after months in bankruptcy court, and millions of dollars from the state in hopes of trying to keep the hospitals open.
Up to 3,000 workers are now scrambling and will flood the job market and hundreds of patients now have until the end of next week to find another provider.
"People think it's just a hospital closing. It's not. Municipalities are going to be losing their primary EMS services, a lot of our areas are underprivileged areas. We're not going to have anywhere to take them. People are ultimately going to die from this because of delayed responses," said Robert Worthington, VP of PASNAP Paramedics, during Tuesday's rally.
We know the closures will happen in a series of steps, beginning with changes at the ER at Crozer-Chester. Those patients will be sent to other hospitals starting on Wednesday.
"I am very disheartened. I'm very upset, I'm confused because I didn't think that this would happen," said Nicole Thomas, with the Women's Health Dept. "I thought that there would be a better outcome because this community needs this hospital."
People are panicking, saying this will leave countless others stranded and out of reach of critical care.
"They have to go elsewhere and that takes a long time, and whatever their problem is at that time, it could be really severe. [They] might not make it, you know," said Courtland Craig, from Chester.
"Stroke victims and heart attack victims now are going to have to wait 30 minutes," said Crozer Nurses Association President Peggy Malone.
"I can go to other hospitals. I know how to get on the bus to go to Springfield or Lankenau, but everybody can't do that," added Lisa Purnell, from Chester.
You can read the full filing from Prospect here.
