Delaware County selected Belmont Behavioral Health LLC from six providers to deliver comprehensive crisis services following the closure of Crozer Health’s behavioral unit. Although Belmont won’t provide inpatient care, its proposal includes a 24-hour, 365-day-a-year crisis response center, a 23-hour observation service, a crisis stabilization unit, and a mobile crisis team. County officials stressed the urgency, with County Council Member Elaine Paul Schaefer saying “we’re in a pretty desperate situation here with the loss of the beds at Crozer.”
Community Need
Crozer-Chester Medical Center’s behavioral crisis unit, which included inpatient care, closed May 2 as Prospect Medical Holdings Inc. shuttered all healthcare operations in Delaware County amid bankruptcy proceedings. The strain has been significant on law enforcement and emergency rooms, which have had to compensate for lost capacity.
Belmont’s Experience
Belmont has operated a walk-in crisis response center and crisis stabilization unit in Philadelphia since 2018 and serves children, adolescents, and adults in the Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital community. CEO Jacqueline Basile emphasized they have “proven experience, not hypothetical.” The 23-hour observation service helps avert unnecessary hospitalizations for individuals whose crises can be resolved by observing and treating within that timeframe. The crisis stabilization unit uses a family-centered approach where situations are typically resolved within 24 hours to five to seven days.
Workforce Concerns
Former Crozer-Chester behavioral health nurse Peggy Malone expressed hope that some workers from that facility would join Belmont and asked for a commitment to prioritize hiring the 2,700 people who lost jobs when Crozer closed. Malone noted that “our community is suffering greatly, so the quicker we can that up and running is most important.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.delcotimes.com/2025/08/31/belmont-behavioral-health-to-provide-mental-health-services-to-delaware-county/