Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital recently closed its 21-bed psychiatric unit due to operational and financial difficulties.

The hospital, owned by Trinity Health, released a statement through spokeswoman Mary Wascavage after the unit was closed on October 26.

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

“After exhausting all available options, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to close our inpatient behavioral health unit,” the report concluded. “We are committed to helping our patients find the care they need and will work closely with community providers to ensure a smooth transition.”

The inpatient psychiatric unit was established in the 178-bed hospital in 1977. Mercy Fitzgerald has been open at 1500 Lansdowne Ave., Darby, since 1933 and currently serves more than 186,000 patients from Delaware County and Southwest Philadelphia each year.

Delaware County officials declined to comment, referring questions to Mercy Fitzgerald. The Pennsylvania Department of Health did not respond to a request for comment.

Behavioral health services have been a critical issue for Delaware County.

As the county considered placing housing on the Delco Woods property for those needing mental health services in April, some county council members weighed in on the situation..

District Council President Dr. “We desperately need mental health services in Delaware County, and we need places to provide it,” Monica Taylor said at the time.

Councilman Kevin Madden, who also serves as chairman of the county’s Board of Jail Oversight, talked about how many people who need mental health services end up in jail instead.

“We have people in prison who shouldn’t be in prison,” Madden said at the time. “They are people with unchecked, untreated mental health issues that have spiraled out of control.”

He talked about the need to find a solution to this situation.

“It’s also really important that we help people who are dealing with untreated mental health needs and can’t afford it,” Madden added. “They’re heading to places where they can’t get the support they need.”

In June, the borough council decided to drop the idea of ​​long-term structured housing for people with mental health issues on the Delco Woods property after huge public outcry.. They said at the time that the buildings on the former Don Guanella property were unsuitable and that renovations would be costly. They said they would continue to look for alternatives.

They said they have looked at 25 other sites over the past three years and have yet to find a suitable site to address the mental health crisis.

When Crozer Health announced its decision to renovate Delaware County Memorial Hospital in September 2022, it talked about turning it into a behavioral health facility..

At the time, Crozer planned to open a 100-bed behavioral health care unit there that would include a crisis care unit, inpatient acute psychiatric care, acute detox/rehabilitation and geropsychiatry/senior behavioral health services. The goal was to open it by spring 2023.

At the time, Crozer Health CEO Anthony Esposito explained how Crozer Health decided there was a need for such a facility.

“What is the best use of this asset?” He said they asked. “What does the county need that we can provide there? “The behavioral health crises in this state and nation have been exacerbated by COVID-19.”

The system is also considering making room for child and adolescent behavioral health services, he said.

The closure of emergency rooms, as well as maternal and operating room services, at Delaware County Memorial Hospital was also met with widespread public opposition.

Lawsuits, led by the Delaware County Foundation, were filed and Crozer’s plans were halted.

However, these cases were postponed Crozer Health’s parent company, Prospect Medical Holdings Inc., is moving forward with the sale to CHA Partners LLC.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry announced on October 30: office sued Prospect “Decades of mismanagement, corporate plunder, and neglect of the hospital system, its patients, and its employees.”

The AG’s office will also ask the courts to appoint a receiver to oversee Crozer Health’s finances and make sure the organization is sold.

Crozer Health has residential psychiatric services at 301 W. 15th St., Chester, and also offers a wide range of mental health services, providing urgent care, outpatient counseling and residential psychiatric treatment with psychiatrists, advanced practice specialists and social workers.

Although not in Delaware County, Main Line Health offers residential behavioral care at Bryn Mawr Hospital, which includes acute stabilization, crisis intervention, and dual diagnosis treatment for individuals with behavioral health and substance use disorders.

First Publication Date: November 8, 2024, 07:05 EST