After Crozer shutdown, Delaware County seeing longer wait and transport times
In the two months since California-based Prospect Medical Holdings closed Crozer Health, new data shows that Delaware County, Pennsylvania, has experienced longer wait and transport times as one of the commonwealth's largest counties adjusts to medical emergencies without its biggest medical system.
"We have trouble"
Rocco Gaspari weeds through high grass complaints.
"The warnings were issued verbally," Gaspari, the president of Lower Chichester's Board of Commissioners, said.
These days, Gaspari has more than unsightly lawns on his mind.
"Delaware County has lost four hospitals in over five years," Gaspari said. "The fifth largest county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, over 600,000 people. We got a problem. We have trouble."
Gaspari is one of two dozen local officials in Delaware County who tell CBS News Philadelphia they were left scrambling to get ambulance coverage for advanced life support calls. He said they "had it made" with Crozer Health ambulance coverage, which was provided free of charge to communities across the county.
"We have a lot of seniors here," Gaspari said, "and I'm concerned that I think this is going to come to a really bad point."
Making matters worse, Gaspari said that if Lower Chichester finances its own ambulance coverage, mutual aid agreements mean the medical unit wouldn't serve the township exclusively. Gaspari said that's a tough pitch to his taxpayers.
"All of the sudden, I have to be the bad guy to put on all these fees, and I don't have the answers," Gaspari said. "To have an ambulance, it's $350,000 to have a brand-new ambulance built."
Gaspari conceded that his budget does not have the needed money.
Increase costs and staffing issues
Elsewhere, a dozen communities have negotiated and signed new contracts with ALS providers. Some have brokered regional agreements to lower costs for taxpayers.
"It was a terrible stress level for Aston," Aston Township Commissioner Joe McGinn said.
McGinn said Aston officials moved quickly through a mess that he claimed was beyond their control. Aston contracted with the company EMSS.
"It does increase cost," McGinn said, "and those are things we are working with the county and state to get some support."
Staffing is a serious issue for companies like EMSS. Adam Scull, the senior vice president at EMSS, said his company hired as many as 15 former Crozer ambulance employees, including Clifford Pippins.
"There is a lot of uncertainty with people and the jobs," Pippins said, "and some of the agreements with the municipalities in place aren't long-term agreements. They're trying to see how things land."
"We still don't have a hospital"
Officials said the most significant concern is the lack of hospitals in Delco since Crozer-Chester Medical Center and Taylor Hospital closed in early May.
"We still don't have a hospital," McGinn said. "Those services are gone, and that's a real challenge moving forward."
There's still shock over the changed health care landscape in Lower Chichester.
"It's just horrible that Crozer is closed," said Lorraine Lex.
A township worker for years, Lex said her grandson had recently visited Riddle Hospital's ER.
"He needed stitches, and there was a wait of eight hours to go to the ER," Lex said.
There were people everywhere.
Riddle sees over 40% increase in volume since Crozer closure
According to state records, Delaware County already had the fewest hospital beds per population of any county in the Philadelphia area, and that was before Crozer closed. The number has only gotten worse.
A Main Line Health spokesperson said that Riddle Hospital has experienced a 42% increase in overall volume since Crozer closed. They're "implementing measures aimed at easing wait times not only at Riddle Hospital, which has been facing unprecedented volumes since the closure of Crozer Health, but also at our other hospitals," according to a statement provided to CBS News Philadelphia.
Gaspari said he's researching how to find money so his township will have dedicated ambulance coverage. He isn't optimistic.
"Citizens of this great United States of America shouldn't have to go through this," he said. "When they changed that nonprofit to profit, they should have realized there was going to be a problem."
Most communities confirm that they're experiencing upfront costs of hundreds of thousands of dollars for the necessary coverage. Delaware County provided ALS coverage to communities for 90 days, giving places like Lower Chichester time to work out agreements. That expires on Aug. 3.
Joe Holden came home to join the CBS News Philadelphia team as a general assignment reporter in May, 2016. In August 2018 he became anchor of the weekend evening editions and Philly57.
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