New owners of Crozer system outline plan for primary care clinic, face questions from Chester community
The new owners of the shuttered Crozer Health system say they hope to reopen a primary care clinic within nine months — marking the first concrete step toward restoring health care services in Delaware County.
Representatives from Chariot Allaire shared that timeline Tuesday evening during a packed town hall at Widener University, where residents pressed for answers about what comes next after the closure of Crozer-Chester Medical Center and other facilities.
The proposed clinic would be developed in partnership with the Independence Blue Cross Foundation.
The announcement drew applause from many in the crowd.
Yoel Polack, principal at Chariot Equities, said phase one of the plan would be to reduce the inpatient hospital and grow the outpatient facilities. He said they're taking careful steps to ensure they bring back the right services that can be sustainable.
"We are studying the needs," Polack said.
Company leaders said rebuilding services will not happen all at once. Instead, they plan to take an incremental approach — reviewing which services to bring back based on data, community need and long-term sustainability.
"We can't let perfection be the enemy of the good," said Dr. Arthur Klein, Chariot's chief health care advisor, noting that decisions will need to be made about which services are feasible to restore locally.
That includes whether to reestablish specialized care, such as intensive pediatric services, or rely on nearby institutions like Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for certain treatments.
But Dr. Klein confirmed the system would not be a "micro hospital."
Some residents pushed back — calling for a fully restored hospital, including a Level 1 trauma center, burn unit, specialty surgical centers and other services they deemed critical.
Other area residents and local representatives raised concerns about transparency in the project, repeatedly asking whether the company would continue to involve the community — especially after many said they were among the last to know when the system shut down.
"I want a commitment from you that residents will be put first when it opens back up," Chester Councilmember Fred Green said. "Not only that ... but I believe it's important that we get everyday people on that [advisory] board so that we can make sure that ... everyone that lives in Delaware County is represented."
Klein said he considered the idea "brilliant," and added that Chariot Allaire leaders would consider it.
Chariot Allaire says it's now beginning a data-driven review to determine which services can be brought back incrementally as the company works to rebuild care in the region. They also said additional community meetings are expected as those plans take shape.
