Last day for Chester County hospital, another one closes next month
Brandywine Hospital in Caln Township will shut down on January 31, 2022.
WEST GROVE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Friday is the last day for one hospital in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
Jennersville Hospital in West Grove is the first of two facilities owned by Tower Health to close because an agreement to sell them fell through.
Brandywine Hospital in Caln Township will shut down on January 31, 2022.
A buyer was set to acquire both hospitals, but Tower Health said the company did not meet its regulatory and financial obligations to complete the transaction.
When news broke earlier this month of the hospitals' impending closures, Tower Health said it will work with patients to transition care and help employees on placement in other positions.
More than 7,200 people signed a petition to keep them open.
Paramedics and residents are concerned about fewer options for emergency care and a longer distance to get to a hospital.
"In many cases, seconds and minutes matter, and our paramedic services and the local basic life support ambulances services here, we are going through all kinds of adjustments. We want to maintain that level of service here," said Bob Hotchkiss, EMS Chief for southern Chester County.
Tower Health released this statement on the closure:
"For sixteen months, Tower Health pursued every viable option to secure the future of Brandywine and Jennersville Hospitals, including extensive exploration of potential new owners. When we announced a definitive agreement for Canyon Atlantic Partners to acquire both hospitals, we believed we had finally found a solution that would preserve Brandywine and Jennersville as acute care hospitals. Unfortunately, despite our understanding at the time the agreement was signed - and after multiple requests and extensions over the last three weeks - Canyon Atlantic Partners has ultimately not demonstrated the necessary regulatory and operational preparedness, nor validated its financial ability, to complete this transaction and operate these hospitals. As a result, both hospitals will close: Jennersville Hospital effective 11:59 PM on December 31, 2021; and Brandywine Hospital effective 11:59 PM on January 31, 2022.
We are deeply saddened by this turn of events, however, no viable options remain for the continued operation of these facilities. Our responsibility to our patients, as well as employees and the communities served, is to ensure this transition included an effective and safe path for change. In the end, we are highly disappointed that Canyon Atlantic Partners has not been able to satisfy these essential requirements. Tower Health will work with patients to transition care, and with employees and providers on placement into other positions."
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