Crozer-Chester Medical Center’s New Owner Hosts first Public Town Hall to talk about Plans for Restoring Healthcare
Rep. Leanne Krueger April 16, 2026 | 9:45 AM
On Tuesday night I drove back from voting session at the State Capitol to attend the first public town hall hosted by Yoel Polack of Chariot Allaire Partners, the real estate firm that bought the Crozer-Chester Medical Center campus last year. Held at Widener University’s Latham Hall in a packed room, Yoel and his chief health care advisor, Dr. Arthur Klein, spent close to two hours presenting their vision for restoring healthcare and answering questions from the community. They were joined by Upland Borough Council Vice President Moira Crawford and Chester Mayor Stefan Roots. While some community members expressed skepticism about another out-of-state group coming into Delaware County, many people seemed enthusiastic about the plan they presented. It was a lively and impassioned community meeting. A number of former Crozer nurses and doctors attended and Yoel and Dr. Klein invited them to stay in open communication as the program unfolds.
I heard two things on Tuesday that showed signs of forward movement. First, Yoel reiterated his commitment to partnering with a nonprofit hospital system to reopen the hospital, announcing that they are entering into a study process with two or three of the major local academic medical centers that will take 60 to 90 days to complete. He hopes that at the end of that period, there will be some outline of a partnership for the new system. Second, he announced a new partnership to help reopen primary care at the site sooner rather than later. Independence Blue Cross Foundation will fund a partnership with Widener University and Neumann University that is projected to bring back primary care services within nine months. Heather Falck, executive director of the Independence Blue Cross Foundation, spoke in support of their investment, describing it as a partnership that will leverage the role of advanced practice nurses as primary care clinicians.
While the broader vision for the hospital will take 2-3 years and millions of dollars in new investment to renovate a campus that the former owner divested in for years, a restoration of primary care services is a positive step. Yoel promised that there will be future public meetings and I will continue to keep the community informed about when they get scheduled.
At the end of the town hall, Chester City Health Commissioner Dr. Kristin Motley warned attendees that Prospect Medical Holdings is planning to destroy patient records from former patients even though the Foundation of Delaware County paid $3 million to fund expenses related to records acquisition. She urged everyone to make sure they get their records as soon as possible if they haven’t yet done so. As of today, patients can still visit Crozer Health - Request My Medical Records.
Meanwhile, Prospect Medical Holdings continues to move through its bankruptcy proceedings in a courtroom in Texas. The next status hearing is scheduled for June 16 at 10:30am and can be viewed here
For more information, Kenny Cooper covered the town hall and the history behind Crozer’s closure for WHYY: Crozer-Chester Medical Center’s new owner eyes a return - WHYY.
Upland Borough livestreamed the event on their Facebook Live account at Upland Borough DELCO PA.