ChristianaCare and Tower Health announced that ChristianaCare will purchase the former Jennersville Hospital location in West Grove, Pennsylvania from Tower Health, with the closing expected in approximately 30 to 60 days. Terms were not announced.
The purchase will include the hospital and Tower Health’s interest in two office buildings, and an additional 24-acre parcel of land.
The new name for the campus will be ChristianaCare West Grove Campus.
Jennersville Hospital has been closed since December 31, 2021. The acquisition does not include any personnel or practices that are currently operating.
ChristianaCare had not indicated an interest in acquiring the hospital after its closing was announced and an earlier sale to a Texas company fell through. There have been long-running concerns that closing the hospital would increase ambulance transport times in an area with a large population of the elderly.
The University of Pennsylvania health system had also refrained from reopening the hospital. Penn operates a hospital in West Chester.
“At ChristianaCare, we recognize that the closing of Jennersville Hospital represented a loss of access to important health care services in the surrounding community,” said Janice E. Nevin, M.D. ChristianaCare CEO. “ChristianaCare already serves many members of the southern Chester County community in our hospitals and practices. We look forward to working with community leaders, listening and evaluating needs, and re-establishing the right mix of health care services at this location.”
Planning for which services might be located on the Jennersville campus is in the early stages.
“We are exploring what is possible,” said Jennifer Schwartz, chief strategy officer. “We know that the loss of the emergency services because of the closing of Jennersville Hospital is a significant concern of the community, and that’s definitely something that we’re discussing. Our priority right now is to talk with community leaders and listen to the community, so that we can develop a plan that meets their needs.”
ChristianaCare already serves residents of Southern Chester County. On March 21, ChristianaCare announced the integration of two primary care practices at Jennersville and West Grove that were previously part of Tower Health.
In February, ChristianaCare announced a Letter of Intent to acquire Crozer Health from Prospect Medical Holdings. The due diligence process for this acquisition is ongoing.
ChristianaCare operates an emergency center and offices in Middletown, the largest town in Delaware without a hospital. The healthcare system has experience in running smaller community hospitals, thanks to a merger with Union Hospital in Elkton, MD.
