Crozer Health closing its doors

Owner Prospect Medical Holdings made the announcement on Monday,  putting more than 2,500 jobs  in limbo at the Delaware County's largest employer. 

Health care organizations and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania  pumped  $46 million into Crozer in recent months an effort to keep the hospital system afloat after its California-based  for-profit owner took into Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings.

The Pennsylvania Attorney General's office  was involved in negotiations and expressed disappointment over the decision.

Crozer operates hospitals that include Crozer Chester Medical center, which has  a trauma center and  regional unit for severely burned patients from Delaware and other areas of the Delaware Valley. With the closing of Crozer Chester, the closest trauma centes in Philadelphia and at ChristianaCare's Newark campus are a 30-minute drive, traffic permitting, WHYY reported.

At one point, north Wilmington-based ChristianaCare entered into negotiations to merge with Crozer. ChristianaCare is Delaware's largest hospital system and largest private employer.

However,  a changing health care environment and the difficulty of converting Crozer to a nonprofit were cited as reasons for walking away.

Christiana, which has imaging and other operations in Delaware County, announced a joint venture that would operate two small neighborhood hospitals in Delaware County. It is finishing work on a neighborhood hospital in nearby Chester County at the former Jennersville Hospital.

The closing decision was not unexpected. Work has been underway in transferring patients to other facilities.