The deal to save the Crozer Health system in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, is on the brink of collapse.

An attorney for Prospect Medical Holdings, which owns Taylor Hospital and Crozer-Chester Medical Center, told the judge on Tuesday an additional $9 million is needed by 4 p.m. Wednesday to keep the hospitals open, or Prospect attorneys said they'll pursue a closure motion with the court for an orderly closure.

At this point, if that money does not come through, a Prospect attorney told the judge the hospitals would go on diversion starting Thursday morning.

If the Crozer Health system closes, patients would be transferred to other hospitals. 

The judge was shocked at the lack of a deal. She said these hospital closures would mean disaster for the communities they serve in Chester and other parts of Delco.

Prospect's attorney said the hospitals remaining open have been a massive money loser and that everyone believed a solution would have been reached, but he pointed to enormous complexities. Earlier this year, Prospect filed for bankruptcy. 

The Crozer Health system closing would mean more than 3,000 people in the network would lose jobs.

Another hearing is set for Thursday afternoon.