Crozer Health to shutter operating room services at Taylor Hospital by Sept. 1

From Delco to Chesco and Montco to Bucks, what about life in Philly’s suburbs do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

Crozer Health, the four-hospital system in Delaware County, will shutter all operating room services at Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park by Sept. 1, according to staff members.

In an emailed statement, Tony Esposito, chief executive officer for the financially distressed health system, told WHYY News Tuesday that the hospital has seen a reduction “in the compliment of general surgeons.”

He said there is a need to consolidate resources and services at other Crozer locations.

“This strategic decision follows a thorough evaluation of the surgical case volumes and staffing changes,” Esposito said. “This decision has been made with careful consideration and planning, and in consultation with key stakeholders, leaders and the surgeons currently operating at Taylor Hospital.”

The decision to end operating room services comes as Crozer’s parent company, Prospect Medical Holdings, scrambles to offload the system to New Jersey-based CHA Partners. In February, Prospect agreed to a court-approved deal to sell Crozer within 270 days.

The company and the attorney general’s office first engaged in the agreement in October 2023 in the aftermath of Crozer shuttering vital services and programs at hospitals, failing to pay vendors, and laying off staff. The troubles have only continued.

With two hospitals — Delaware County Memorial and Springfield — virtually closed, the latest announcement is yet another blow to Crozer amid its ongoing negotiations for a sale.

In June, the system lost its bid to keep its surgical residency program in operation. It had previously been stripped of its accreditation.

Delaware County Council enacted an ordinance in April 2022, requiring hospitals to provide a 180-day notice if they wanted to close a ward or hospital.

Established in 1910, Taylor Hospital started as a passion project inside the home of Dr. Horace Furness Taylor and his wife Katherine, a nurse.

Prospect acquired the Crozer-Keystone Health System in 2016. The for-profit company, which owns hospitals in California, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, has been having trouble across the country handling its properties.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha filed a motion to hold Prospect in contempt for failing to pay $17 million in back bills.