Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital recently closed a 21-bed behavioral health unit Delaware Countya move that limits access to necessary treatment options for people with behavioral and mental health issues.

Delaware County has been trying to open a store for years. new mental health facility To meet growing demand, however, it has yet to make a deal. Now local services may be further affected by turmoil at another leading provider of this type of care. Last week, the state asked the court to let it take control of financially distressed states Crozer Health to prevent the closure of the system’s two hospitals and its recently expanded behavioral health unit.

Mercy Fitzgerald closed its behavioral health unit on Oct. 26 “after exhausting all available options,” according to a spokesperson for Mercy Fitzgerald. Trinity Health Mid-AtlanticHe owns the 188-bed hospital in Darby.

“We know that many people in Delaware County rely on Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital for behavioral health services,” health system spokesman Jason Griffith said in a statement. “While there is a need for these services in our community, operational and financial challenges have made it difficult for us to maintain it.”

Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic It struggled financially and reported an operating loss of $95 million for the fiscal year ended June 30. This is higher than the $80 million loss in the same period the previous year. The nonprofit health system reported revenue of $1.08 billion, up 3% from the previous year.

Trinity Mid-Atlantic is owned by one of the nation’s largest Catholic health systems.

Mercy Fitzgerald serves approximately 186,000 patients annually, making it the busiest of Trinity’s Philadelphia-area hospitals. The system also includes: Nazareth Hospital in Philadelphia and St. Mary Medical Center inside Bucks County.

Behavioral and mental health services in Delaware County

State and county officials have taken unprecedented steps in recent weeks to protect access to critical health care in Delaware County.

Pennsylvania attorney general filed a petition Delaware County to court at the end of October Give state control From Crozer Health. Crozer’s owner, Prospect Medical Holdings Inc., had threatened to close key services, including the delivery room, burn unit and the region’s only trauma center.

” READ MORE: Crozer Health may be taken under state control in unprecedented move after years of financial turmoil

crozer it also has a crisis center, mental health and substance abuse counseling, and a inpatient unit For more intensive care.

At the same time, the search for a location in the district continues for years. new mental health facility. Officials abandoned plans to build a 16-bed facility in a wooded area known as Delco Woods in Marple in June due to financial problems. The proposal was opposed by some residents who wanted it to be properly preserved as park land.

The county said at the time it was reviewing other options but declined to share locations. A county spokesman did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication Thursday.

Inquirer staff reporter Harold Brubaker contributed to this article.