Overview
- Chariot Allaire told a packed town hall Tuesday at Widener University that a primary care clinic on the Crozer-Chester campus could open in six to nine months with funding from the Independence Blue Cross Foundation.
- Executives said they are entering a 60 to 90 day study with two to three major regional health systems to identify a nonprofit operator, and no operator has been selected yet.
- The plan calls for reopening the emergency department and building a much smaller inpatient unit above it, with the hospital footprint cut to about one-tenth of its former size.
- Leaders projected a two to three year timeline to rebuild inpatient services, stressing an outpatient-first model designed to match local demand and keep costs in check.
- Residents pressed for firm commitments on trauma, pediatrics, and specialty care, while the owners said they could rehire laid-off Crozer staff and noted the site was stripped of equipment after the 2025 shutdown; Penn said it remains engaged, and ChristianaCare said it is not in talks.