Delco Council ends disaster declaration for Crozer Health closure

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Delaware County Council voted unanimously Wednesday evening to end the disaster declaration it issued last year amid the collapse of Crozer Health.

“This resolution was put into place to deal with certain consequences relating to largely emergency services, I believe,” Delaware County Councilmember Christine Reuther said. “At this juncture, all of our municipalities have contractual arrangements in place for emergency medical services. I’m sure that will continue to evolve, but there’s really no need to keep the disaster declaration going.”

The shuttered four-hospital health system once provided ambulance coverage to more than half of Pennsylvania’s second-densest county. Prospect Medical Holdings, Crozer’s California-based parent company, filed for bankruptcy in January 2025.

Despite months of tense negotiations between state officials and the company, Prospect closed its two remaining hospitals, Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Taylor Hospital, in the spring. The county issued a disaster declaration in April 2025 to help communities find alternative emergency medical services.

“Through the work of the county, we were able to identify funds and County Council had an instrumental role,” said Barbara O’Malley, county executive director, at Tuesday’s preliminary council meeting. “We thank the Foundation for Delaware County for helping us to provide funding for communities to ensure that coverage was available to all Delaware County residents. Since that time, all of our communities have been able to establish their own contracts.”

Ambulance trips to hospitals are now more than three times longer than they were in 2018, according to Delaware County EMS data. Patients are spending even longer times waiting in emergency departments at hospitals farther from home.

“While we do not have the return of their services in terms of emergency rooms and there are still obviously needs in terms of emergency room services, the medical services in terms of ambulance coverage is intact and operational throughout the county,” O’Malley said.

Delaware County Council also voted to end the disaster declaration it issued following the state budget impasse.