Chesco Commissioners: ChristianaCare To Acquire Jennersville Hospital

WEST CHESTER, PA —The Chester County commissioners announced today ChristianaCare plans to purchase Jennersville Hospital in West Grove from Tower Health.

ChristianaCare is headquartered in Wilmington, DE, about 20 miles south of Jennersville.

The financial terms were not yet available. The new name for the hospital is ChristianaCare West Grove Campus, which is in Penn Township.

Tower Health, headquartered in West Reading, Berks County, closed Jennersville Hospital on Dec. 31 and Brandywine Hospital on Jan. 31.

The commissioners said the agreement represents months of hard work.

Marian Moskowitz, chairwoman, and Commissioners Josh Maxwell and Michelle Kichline issued a joint statement Wednesday evening.

“From the time Tower announced the closures of Brandywine and Jennersville Hospitals, we have been hyper focused on replacing the lost services with better services to provide greater care for southern and western Chester County residents,” the commissioners said.

“ChristianaCare represents a perfect fit for the southern Chester County area in that ChristianaCare is based just across the border in Delaware and is well-known and highly regarded.” the commissioner said.

The commissioners thanked state Sen. Carolyn Comitta, a Chester County Democrat, and state Rep. John Lawrence, a Chester County Republican, for their help in securing the sale.

“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 Dr. Janice E. Nevin, ChristianaCare president and 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.”

Loss of mental health services

The commissioners noted that one big loss with the hospital closures was the loss of mental health services at Brandywine Hospital.

The commissioners said in the statement that the county has been working with providers since the closures to make sure that those needs are met for the long term.

The commissioners said they are continuing to work with our state legislators and other stakeholders in an effort to return hospital services to the former Brandywine Hospital and the western Chester County area.

“We know we also need more services for Chester County residents regarding mental health, and we’ll be working with providers who will ensure they are meeting the needs of all residents who need this care,” the commissioners said in the statement. “But for now, this is a moment of celebration.”