Delaware County seeking to fill void in health care amid Crozer Health system shutdown
A nonprofit EMS provider is stepping up as Delaware County's largest health system shuts down.
VMSC Emergency Medical Services, based in Lansdale, Montgomery County, has signed an agreement to respond to 911 calls in the City of Chester starting Saturday, May 3. The agency will station three ambulances at the Chester Bureau of Fire.
"The first priority obviously is making sure there's no lapse in coverage," Shane Wheeler, CEO of VMSC Emergency Medical Services, said. "So priority #1 [is] getting ambulances staffed, and into the community and prepared to answer emergency calls."
Previously, the city relied on Crozer-Chester Medical Center for EMS coverage, but the emergency room at the hospital stopped accepting ambulances on April 23. Amid bankruptcy, the hospital is scheduled to close its doors permanently on Friday.
"When ambulance services are interrupted because of the close of the hospital, that requires immediate, urgent action," Chester Mayor Stefan Roots said.
VMSC has 300 paramedics and EMTs on staff but is planning to hire about 50 more people in response to the increased demand for their services.
"We've been really just overwhelmed with the outpouring of applications," Wheeler said. "Over 200 applicants have applied for the positions, all local, in our communities here in Delaware County. So I really think we're going to be able to fill this with a lot of people who are losing their jobs or have lost them."
With Crozer Health's shutdown looming, patients are flocking to nearby hospitals for care.
In a statement, Main Line Health said in part: "We are having significantly higher numbers of patients come through Riddle Hospital's emergency department since Crozer Health's closure on Wednesday to ambulance traffic. However, our average time to be seen by a clinician has not changed as of this point."
Michael Madden was in Riddle's emergency department Monday to accompany a relative and said it was crowded.
"In the waiting room, sitting with other patients and hearing the conversations that come up for people, this is a main conversation right now, is what's going to happen, the uncertainty of not knowing going forward," Madden said.
Delaware County secures funding for more ambulances
Just one day after Crozer-Chester Health Center officially shut its doors, Delaware County announced that it secured funding to get more emergency vehicles on the road, and help fill the void left by the hospital.
Four additional Advanced Life Support (ALS) vehicles will be deployed across the county to respond to emergencies, Delaware County Council announced on May 3.
"Thanks to support from the Independence Blue Cross Foundation, the AmeriHealth Caritas Foundation, and Jefferson Health, this new funding represents a critical lifeline for municipalities that continue to face strain following Prospect Medical Holdings' abrupt withdrawal from Delaware County," the council said in a Facebook post.
