Nine months since Crozer-Chester Medical Center was closed by Prospect Medical, residents of Chester are still without a hospital and are traveling more than 30 minutes to get care. The hospital closed its doors to patients in May 2025 after its owners, Prospect Medical, went into bankruptcy. The closure left the area without a 24/7 medical center, causing travel time for emergency patients to increase drastically. “I suffer from seizures and have neuropathy disorder, so this is a no play thing,” said Shaheer Madeehah, who lives in Chester. “This is real, and the closure of the hospital was like, ‘What’s going on here.’” “It was stress-free knowing that you have a hospital right next to your home,” Madeehah added. “But when you’re not feeling right, and seeing that the hospital is a half an hour, according to traffic, it makes you nervous.” Many people who require emergency medical care have had to travel to Wilmington or Philadelphia or call one of three ambulances secured through a contract that ends in April. Chester’s mayor said that the city has the funds to keep those services going. “We were sort of gifted ambulance services for 2025-2026,” said Chester Mayor Stefan Roots. “It’s not gonna be so nice in 2026-2027, but we’re ready for it.” Residents and the organization say people in the area are in need of and deserve more than a few ambulances. “I want to see Chester get emergency medical services in the form of a brick and mortar in the form of a 24/7. A clinic that stays open till 5 p.m. isn’t doing it because most things happen after dark,” said Dawn Pierce, a Chester resident. BRIDGE: Miguel Martinez-Valle  A few weeks ago, Chariot Equities and Allair Health Services bought the closed hospital, and they plan to bring back essential health care services to people in the area. However, Roots met with the group and said there is still a lot of work to be done to bring the hospital back. “If you were to ask me, how long would it take for them to open the door? I would say 3 to 4 years,” Roots said. “And that’s why I have to tell my community that that’s a reality of this situation.” ...read more read less