New suitors are circling two vacant Crozer Health properties in Delaware County, shortly after ChristianaCare snapped up a portfolio of outpatient centers for $50M.
Crozer Health’s shuttered Delaware County Memorial Hospital in Upper Darby
The Upper Darby School District wants to pay $600K for the former Delaware County Memorial Hospital, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported.
The district offered $2M for the 8-acre site near Upper Darby High School, aiming to tear down the vacant buildings, some reportedly structurally unsound.
If the sale doesn’t close by Aug. 13, Crozer’s bankrupt parent company, Prospect Medical Holdings, can walk away under a court ruling that opens the door for lenders to foreclose. But one hurdle still stands between Prospect and the district.
Upper Darby Township must hold a public vote on the sale, a process that would take at least three weeks, according to municipal attorney Beth Stern Fleming.
A potential buyer has also emerged for the Taylor Hospital site in Ridley Park. While Prospect attorney Maegan Quejada declined to name it, she said the prospective purchaser toured the property Monday morning.
Prospect had previously received a $575K offer for the site.
ChristianaCare finalized its $50M acquisition of five former Crozer outpatient facilities on Monday, including sites in Broomall, Havertown, Glen Mills and Media.
“With these practices and services, we are building on what was here before, and we are growing to create new access to care for our Delaware County neighbors,” ChristianaCare President of Ambulatory Network Continuity and Growth Pauline Corso said in a statement.
The hospital network is also planning to open two Delco microhospitals in Aston and Springfield.
Emergency care in the county has been severely reduced since Crozer declared bankruptcy and shut down its hospital network this spring. Officials attempted to keep the facilities open but ultimately failed.
“We’ve seen what happens when corporate raiders like Prospect Medical Holdings prioritize profits over patients — families lose access to care, healthcare workers lose their jobs and communities across the Commonwealth suffer,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said in May.
“We cannot allow for-profit companies to treat our hospitals like piggy banks they can smash and walk away from.”