Crozer ambulance service in Upper Darby is to be curtailed for 36 hours.
Beginning Sunday at 7 p.m. and for the following 36 hours there will be one paramedic aid car to cover the township of 85,000 residents, the sixth most-populous municipality in the state, Upper Darby Mayor Ed Brown confirmed.
Township police and fire units also respond to medical emergencies and will continue to do so.
Ambulance units from adjoining communities will respond to transport patients, adding stress to the overall system for the entire county.
Crozer Health has not replied Sunday for a request for comment. The ambulance service emergency is coming against the backdrop of the Crozer Health crisis, in which parent company Prospect Medical Holdings has declared bankruptcy and has threatened to shutter the system.
State, county and local officials have been attending hearings in federal bankruptcy court in a bid to have a buyer for the system emerge. But that has not happened — though it still could — and Prospect has started to sell off parts of Crozer Health
Brown said officials are actively working on coverage in conjunction with interim township Fire Chief Brian Boyce.
In March, Boyce gave a presentation in which he warned township council that even if Crozer Health survives, the EMS service it provides at free or low cost is unlikely to continue and the municipality will need to bear the cost.
That day may be here.
Sign-on logs for Crozer EMS crews indicate Crozer Health, which typically staffs two ambulances and a paramedic aid car for Upper Darby, has only one paramedic aid car available for the 36 hours.
With the threat of Crozer’s closing, a number of employees have been leaving, seeking safer positions elsewhere, further challenging coverage.
On Sunday, the private ambulance service, STAT Medical Service, posted job openings for 911 employment opportunities, stating the township has reached out to the business.
“STAT Medical Transport has agreed to provide two 24-hour ALS Transport Units to the township with the intent to start services on a date to be determined by the township,” the Facebook post said. “STAT Medical Transport has been in business for 20 years and is located in the center of this great township. We look forward to supporting our local community in this new venture.”
STAT is looking for 10 full-time EMT’s and 10 full-time paramedics, and said it will work with Upper Darby and Crozer-Keystone to ensure a smooth transition.
Upper Darby Firefighters Union President Tom Thornton said his members will continue to respond to 911 calls but that will impact fire response.
The union members, who are all trained to the EMT basic level, have responded to calls of an urgent nature for some time now. They will continue to respond to calls in the township and provide residents with the care needed, Thornton said.
With the loss of the ambulances, the burden will fall to neighboring communities.
Haverford Township paramedic chief James McCans said his units have been propping up Crozer’s Upper Darby units for some time.
McCans said the loss of ambulances and EMS in Upper Darby will impact communities across Delaware County, as in a domino effect.
He said that if Haverford’s covering a call in Upper Darby, and a heart attack occurs in Havertown, Marple will need to be pulled into Haverford, extending precious response times.
This will stretch out through the county as response times will be further stressed.
McCans said when he learned about the staffing issues on Sunday he reached out to Crozer EMS leadership, which initially denied the lack of staff.
McCans said he has every reason to believe EMS is collapsing in the county, and causing something prehospital medical crews are taught not to do: abandon patients.
“It goes against everything — don’t abandon patients — and that is what is happening,” McCans said.
He said that as Crozer has collapsed “People are just feeding on the scraps, and it is horrendous.”
McCans also lamented the turn of events for Crozer EMS, which in the not-too-distant past was looked at as a leader and innovator emergency services in Pennsylvania.
Text of interim fire chief’s letter to residents
EMS Staffing Update and Ongoing Service Stabilization Efforts
Upper Darby Township wishes to advise the community of a temporary EMS staffing shortage affecting Crozer units for tonight and Monday. We have been assured that full staffing is anticipated to return on Tuesday and Wednesday.
We appreciate the community’s understanding and patience as we manage these temporary challenges.
These fluctuations are unfortunately symptomatic of the broader financial crisis surrounding the Crozer Health System, which has significantly impacted emergency medical services across Delaware County.
Upper Darby Township is actively engaged in transitioning to a new EMS provider, STAT Medical Transport, to divest from the Crozer hospital-based model and to establish a more stable, sustainable EMS system for our residents.
During this period, Upper Darby Township Fire Department units will continue to respond to medical emergencies as always.
Our firefighters will provide immediate first responder care; however, due to the EMS staffing shortage, there may be delays in ambulance transport
capabilities until additional EMS resources are made available. We are working closely with our partners to minimize any service gaps and to ensure patient care is always prioritized.
As part of this transition, Upper Darby Township is working closely with Delaware County EMS leadership and Delaware County Emergency Services to bring our new provider fully online and integrated into the countywide EMS system.
This partnership will ensure operational continuity, strengthen mutual aid capabilities, and enhance service reliability for our community.
We recognize that the emerging EMS environment is increasingly based on multi-municipal collaboration models, like the system recently established in the Downingtown area.
Upper Darby Township is committed to participating fully in these efforts, understanding that such partnerships will be critical to sustaining effective emergency medical services in the future.
The closure and reduction of hospital-based services are creating substantial gaps in access to critical care services, including trauma care and cardiac care, with these vital resources now located farther from our community.
Upper Darby Township remains dedicated to utilizing every available resource to ensure the highest quality care for our residents and visitors despite these emerging challenges.
We also reaffirm our commitment to developing strong partnerships with surrounding municipalities to further analyze and address the countywide EMS crisis.
Working collaboratively, we will advocate for regional solutions that preserve and enhance the emergency care infrastructure necessary to protect our citizens.
We thank you for your continued support and understanding as we work to strengthen the resiliency and reliability of Upper Darby Township’s EMS services.
Brian Boyce
Interim Fire Chief
Originally Published: April 13, 2025 at 6:04 PM EDT