A Pennsylvania appeals court reversed a lower court's ruling that blocked Crozer Health-owned Delaware County Memorial Hospital in Drexel Hill, Pa., from moving forward with a plan to turn the hospital into a behavioral health center, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported May 3.
The lower court granted a preliminary injunction in October blocking the hospital from closing its emergency department and ending general inpatient services, the report said. The lawsuit was filed by the Foundation of Delaware County, which represents the legal interests of the nonprofit that sold Springfield, Pa.-based Crozer to Los Angeles-based Prospect Medical Holdings in 2016.
The foundation argued that plans to turn Delaware County Memorial into a behavioral health facility with services including urgent care violated the sale agreement, the report said. The agreement required Prospect to keep Crozer's hospitals open for at least 10 years.
The appeals court said the foundation did not prove that irreparable harm would come to the community due to the closure, the report said.