A judge on Tuesday granted the injunction to temporarily halt the transformation of Delaware County Memorial Hospital by Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. and Prospect Crozer LLC into a behavioral center.
“Immediately suspend any actions materially altering the present operation of Delaware County Memorial Hospital,” wrote Chester County Court of Common Pleas Senior Judge Robert J. Shenkin in a two-page order.
“Respondents shall maintain all services presently offered at Delaware County Memorial Hospital and all present operations at Delaware County Memorial Hospital and shall not directly or indirectly engage in any activity that would in any way materially and adversely affect such services and operations,” the order continued.
Shenkin also ordered all the involved parties to meet within two days and report back to the court within two days after that. CKHS Inc. and the Foundation for Delaware County filed the request for the injunction.
The petitioners, of course, were happy with the ruling.
Frances Sheehan, foundation president, issued this statement: “We are obviously very pleased with the judge’s decision ordering Prospect to keep Delaware County Memorial Hospital open. He recognized that closing the hospital is a clear violation of Prospect’s commitment when they purchased the Crozer Keystone Health System to keep the hospitals open as acute care facilities and that closing the hospital would be tremendously damaging to the community.”
Crozer Health plans to turn Memorial into a crisis center, an inpatient geriatric psychiatry unit, an inpatient adult psychiatry unit and an acute detox substance disorder unit with a separate urgent care center for the general public.
Four services from the current offerings at Memorial will remain beyond the Nov. 26 deadline.
They include the microbiology lab, the Maternal Fetal Medicine Center, home health and hospice care and an EMS and medics’ station. Only the Maternal Fetal Medicine Center will accept patients, who will visit for ultrasounds.
On Sept. 21, Crozer CEO Tony Esposito announced that employees at the Upper Darby hospital would be receiving layoff notices as Crozer Health planned to close the hospital in 60 days. He explained that the repurposing was due to the changing nature of health care from inpatient care to more outpatient care.
In another statement Tuesday night, Dr. Monica Taylor, Delaware County Council chair, said: “The county is pleased to learn of Judge Shenkin’s decision. The injunction will serve to keep DCMH open to provide care to the community, while the Foundation for Delaware County and the county consider the best way to work with Prospect-Crozer to provide stable, high-quality healthcare to Delaware County residents. If asked to participate, the county will join in any discussions between the Foundation and Prospect-Crozer.”
