ChristianaCare to take over two Tower Health primary care practices in Chesco

ChristianaCare is taking over primary care practices in Jennersville and West Grove that were previously affiliated with Tower Health, the owner of two shuttered hospitals in Chester County.

“ChristianaCare strives to make a positive impact on the health of every person in every community we serve. That includes increasing access to primary care services that will help people achieve their very best health,” Dr. Lisa Maxwell, president of the Medical Group of ChristianaCare, said in a statement announcing the changes.

The transition from Tower Health to Delaware-based ChristianaCare is expected to be a relatively smooth one for the two practices, whose staff will stay on and become employees of  ChristianaCare. The provider plans to expand staff and services at the two sites.

Some had expected ChristianaCare to be a suitor for the now-closed Jennersville and Brandywine hospitals themselves. Still, the nonprofit health system’s addition of the two medical practices to its network of nearly 30 throughout the region came as welcome news.

“We are thrilled that these two practices are joining ChristianaCare. Their addition strengthens ChristianaCare as a preferred provider of high-quality primary care services in Southeastern Pennsylvania,” Maxwell said in the statement.

WHYY News reached out to ChristianaCare for a direct comment, but a spokesperson for the health system was unable to immediately provide someone.

Parts of Chester County have become a health care desert since Tower’s closing of Jennersville Hospital in December and Brandywine Hospital in January. An on-and-off-again would-be buyer, Canyon Atlantic Partners LLC, dropped a renewed quest for the hospitals earlier this month. Last week, the Department of Veterans Affairs recommended the closure of the VA medical center in Coatesville among others nationwide.

ChristianaCare is in negotiations to acquire the four-hospital Crozer Health system in neighboring Delaware County. The nonprofit signed a letter of intent in February with Crozer Health’s parent company, Prospect Medical Holdings.

In January, Crozer Health’s Springfield Hospital temporarily closed its emergency department, and Delaware County Memorial Hospital permanently closed its maternity unit. DCMH expects to temporarily shut down its intensive care and surgical units by the end of May.

The retention of two primary care practices won’t address acute care needs in Chester County, but it does help address some of the preventative health issues that can often precede problems that can put someone in a hospital.