Brandywine Hospital. File photo.
Penn Medicine — which operates Chester County Hospital — confirmed Tuesday night it had signed a letter of intent to acquire the former Brandywine Hospital campus from Tower Health, although it is unclear what Penn’s plans are for the Coatesville-area hospital campus, which has been closed since January, 2022.
The closure of both Brandywine and Jennersville Hospital in late 2021 and early 2022 after a sale fell through left large swathes of the county — the west and northwest portions of the county — without a nearby emergency room or hospital facility. The new owners of Jennersville — ChristianiaCare announced plans to reopen the facility in 2024 as a “micro-hospital” complete with an emergency room. The loss of Brandywine additionally created a shortage of in-patient mental health beds in the county.
The closure of both facilities has impacted patients and local volunteer fire/EMS companies, as longer driving times and turnarounds have stretched already tight resources for the companies, while causing heavier patient counts at Chester County Hospital and Paoli Hospital — and longer wait times in their ERs during busy times.
County Commissioners Marian Moskowitz, Josh Maxwell, and Michelle Kichline, who have been working with local, state and federal officials to find ways to reopen both facilities, expressed optimism in a statement issued Tuesday night that Penn would be able to complete the deal and ultimately reopen the facility in the future.
“Penn Medicine already provides top hospital and health care services in Chester County, and the expansion of that investment to the Coatesville and surrounding area is tremendous news — and certainly cause to celebrate! As Penn Medicine completes their due diligence, we will support their efforts in reimagining healthcare access to everyone in Western Chester County,” the statement read.
