Delaware County lawmakers want Pennsylvania AG to take criminal action against Prospect Medical Holdings
Delaware County's delegation of state lawmakers is asking the Pennsylvania attorney general to consider bringing criminal charges against Prospect Medical Holdings for closing the Crozer Health system.
In a letter to Attorney General Dave Sunday, a group of state lawmakers requested that the attorney general open a criminal investigation into the California-based private health care company.
"Open a criminal investigation into Prospect's current and former owners, including those who benefited from $457M in dividends paid after Prospect sold Crozer's real estate in 2019," the lawmakers wrote in the letter. "Given the reports from staff of systemic divestment in the infrastructure over the nine years that Prospect owned the Crozer Health system, we implore you to leave no stone unturned in holding them accountable."
Delco state lawmakers want accountability for Prospect
The state lawmakers also want Sunday to petition U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Stacey Jernigan to claw back $40 million invested in operating Crozer Health since the bankruptcy was declared. The lawmakers stated that the money is needed now to establish healthcare in communities that Prospect is leaving behind. Crozer Health was the largest hospital system in Delaware County.
Additionally, Delaware County lawmakers are requesting ambulance service in the county for 16 weeks rather than the current plan of seven to 10 days, which they called "woefully inadequate." The lawmakers are also asking Prospect to cover the $20 to $30 million cost of providing that service.
"When Prospect closed Delaware County Memorial Hospital two years ago, the number of people who continued to show up to DCMH after it was closed and then needed ambulance transport to an open ER was stunning —155 patients in the first twelve months after closure," the lawmakers wrote in the letter. "Given the higher patient volume at Crozer-Chester, we believe Prospect should be required to pay for this expense as part of the $20M-$30M they have told the judge they budgeted for the closure process."
Pennsylvania state Sen. John Kane was the first to call for a criminal probe a month ago.
"Kind of stepping up a little bit. I'm hoping that the DA and the attorney general are going to look into it a little more serious now," state Sen. John Kane said. "To me, it's serious. I believe that it should have been happening all along."
CBS News Philadelphia reached out to Sunday's office, and we're waiting to hear back. We also reached out to Prospect for comment and are awaiting their response.
Crozer-Chester ER shuts down, hospital closes Friday
There is one less emergency room to serve the 585,000 people who live in Delaware County, as Crozer-Chester Medical Center shut its doors at 8 a.m. Wednesday, ahead of its scheduled closure on Friday. Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park closed last Saturday.
With Crozer-Chester and Taylor closed, Delco has just two hospitals: Riddle Hospital in Media and Mercy Fitzgerald in Darby.
On Monday, Crozer-Chester stopped its mental health service. Now that its ER is closed — a sign on the door reads "Emergency Department permanently closed" — patients are growing increasingly worried about the void in health care in Delaware County.
Kenneth Johnson was once a patient at Crozer-Chester's emergency department.
"They made me drink this stuff, black charcoal, to get the poison out of my system. Twice," Johnson said, adding doctors at the hospital saved his life twice.
Johnson believes Prospect's decision to close Crozer Health will lead to unnecessary deaths.
"I think a lot of people are going to die because they won't be able to make it to the hospital," Johnson said.
Crozer-Chester's emergency department saved Daniel Slegel's life from an attack.
"This right here is wrong. Shutting this thing down, it's wrong," Slegel said. "I was stabbed. I ran to the emergency room and within an hour and a half, I was back out going home. That's how good the care was."
Crozer-Chester is working quickly to transfer patients to other facilities.
Tom Polizzi, a social worker, is among 2,600 employees losing their jobs, but he's most concerned about the patients.
"It makes me angry," Polizzi said. "Not just for me, but for everyone who was relying on this hospital for care."
