Yadenborough leaders warn hospital closures strain emergency response, seek crisis-center options

Yadenborough Mayor Rowan Heplins and Police Chief Henry Giamarco said at the Aug. 14 council meeting that a drop in nearby hospital capacity and ongoing hospital ownership changes have increased pressures on emergency responders and residents.

Heplins told the council several hospital facilities that used to serve the area have closed or been acquired, leaving fewer local options for specialized care. "We used to have six hospitals in this area, and they're all — we only have two," Heplins said, adding that the borough is watching proposals and buyer activity closely because some buyers have bought hospitals, extracted assets and left communities without services.

Chief Giamarco said the police department has seen an increase in work tied to behavioral health crises and involuntary commitments under Pennsylvania procedures, including patients who leave hospitals and must be located and returned under relevant legal mechanisms. "We are constantly running to the hospital because with the closure of Crozer (Chester) we have been dealing with a lot of 302 patients that are absconding from the hospital, and we have to go find them and bring them back," Giamarco said.

Why it matters: Council members and staff said fewer local hospitals and changes in ownership raise public-safety and access concerns for residents who rely on emergency and specialized services. Heplins and Giamarco said county and state actors are pursuing options, including a Delaware County crisis center and review of procedures for handling patients discharged or absconding from hospitals.

Council members and staff said they have engaged county officials and expect requests for proposals for crisis-center services to proceed: the police chief said county work on a crisis-center procurement is expected to move forward and borough representatives attended recent RFP discussions. Heplins said the topic will be included in the next mayor's forum, and the borough will provide public updates about impacts on EMS, police and residents.

The meeting included no formal vote on hospital policy; speakers said the borough is monitoring state and county actions and will coordinate with those agencies where appropriate. Giamarco said accreditation and police procedures are being updated alongside these public-safety discussions.

For now, borough officials urged residents to attend the mayor's forum for more information and to expect further updates as county-level crisis-center procurement and state policy discussions proceed.