Delco recovery program sees influx of 1,000 more clients in year Crozer Health closed
In the same year that the Crozer Health system closed, MVP Recovery saw an increase of 1,000 clients, or roughly a third more, than the year previous.
After Crozer Health parent company Prospect Medical Holdings declared bankruptcy in January 2025, it closed the two remaining hospitals — Taylor Hospital in Ridley Park and Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland — within a few months.
It had closed the other two system hospitals, Delaware County Memorial Hospital in Upper Darby and Springfield Hospital, years earlier.
Brian Corson, founder of MVP Recovery, spoke about the impact of the closures.
“The closure of Crozer created a significant strain on emergency departments, hospital beds and behavioral health access points across Delaware County,” he said. “In response, county council and the Delaware County Department of Human Services moved quickly to strengthen and expand the Warm Hand Off and urgent behavioral health initiatives, programs that MVP Recovery coordinates on the county’s behalf.”
The Warm Hand Off is a collaborative effort to provide seamless and compassionate support to those struggling with substance abuse or mental health issues and to connect a person in crisis with appropriate resources and services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Corson said more than 4,100 Delaware County residents were engaged through Warm Hand Off last year. That’s more than 1,000 more than in 2024.
Of those, nearly 900 more individuals were linked to treatment than the previous year.
“Much of that increase reflects the reality that Crozer was no longer available as a behavioral health entry point,” Corson explained. “Individuals who previously may have defaulted to a hospital setting instead accessed MVP Recovery’s 24/7 Warm Hand Off services.”
He also spoke of how MVP worked to keep area emergency rooms less crowded.
Corson said 497 individuals were diverted directly from emergency departments by MVP Certified Recovery Specialists in 2025 and linked to the appropriate level of care. Another 208 were diverted from hospital beds after admission and transitioned to behavioral health placement, freeing up critical inpatient capacity.
“Importantly, many of these engagements resulted in individuals being diverted from already overwhelmed and limited emergency rooms in Delaware County,” he noted. “Through Delaware County’s Warm Hand Off programs, coordinated by MVP Recovery, individuals experiencing behavioral health crises are connected directly to appropriate placement and services rather than defaulting to ER utilization.
“This approach not only improves outcomes for individuals but also benefits the broader community by reducing strain on hospital systems. The Warm Hand Off model implemented here in Delaware County is now recognized as one of the most impactful and successful in Pennsylvania.”
Key to this, he said, has been MVP’s STAR — Stabilization-Triage-Assessment-Referral — Program, which opened in 2024 in Chester for those needing mental health care.
“With Crozer no longer accessible to many residents, the STAR Center became a critical community-based alternative,” Corson said.
Last year, the center had 278 engagements and of those, 250 individuals were linked to care with a 90% treatment success rate. There were nearly 70% walk-ins from the surrounding Chester community.
“Without this resource, many of those nearly 300 individuals would have presented to already strained emergency departments,” Corson said. “The ripple effect in reducing ER congestion and first responder strain has been significant.”
He said the STAR Center’s success has been recognized at the state level.
“In his proposed 2026–27 budget, Gov. Josh Shapiro included funding to sustain stabilization centers like the STAR Center,” Corson said. “Delaware County is currently one of only four counties in Pennsylvania operating a behavioral health urgent care, and the only one in the region. The success of the STAR Center demonstrated how critical a behavioral health urgent care model is for Delaware County, particularly following the closure of Crozer Health System.”
He noted the support of county leaders who are working to meet the needs of the community in the wake of the Crozer Health fallout.
“Recognizing that one location would not be sufficient to meet the increased demand, county council, particularly through the leadership of (Member and last year’s chair) Dr. (Monica) Taylor, identified the need to expand the model,” Corson said. “As a result, a second MVP Behavioral Health Urgent Care Office will open this summer in Upper Darby. This strategic expansion places Delaware County at the forefront of behavioral health innovation statewide and directly addresses the service gap left by Crozer’s closure by reducing strain on emergency departments and increasing immediate access to care.”
Corson noted MVP is not only helping thousands of county residents but enabling them to experience success.
“In 2025, we engaged more than 4,100 Delaware County residents and successfully linked 3,398 individuals to treatment, achieving an 83% linkage success rate,” he said. “On average, we are helping 11 Delaware County residents every day connect to care at critical moments.”
MVP also has other metrics when determining success for clients.
“Beyond access and diversion, client-reported outcomes from individuals actively participating in MVP Recovery’s comprehensive, wraparound model show a 33% average improvement across the four major dimensions of recovery: health, home, purpose and community,” Corson said. “These improvements reflect meaningful progress in stability, well-being and long-term recovery for Delco residents and their families.”
He also credited the county’s approach to helping all those experiencing success through MVP Recovery programs.
“These figures demonstrate how, despite the loss of a major hospital system, Delaware County implemented strategies for expanded access, reduced emergency department strain, and continued connecting residents to timely behavioral health care,” Corson said.
MVP Recovery’s reach has also since gone beyond Delaware County. In mid-2023, it opened facilities in West Chester and Exton. Four years ago, MVP opened Sober Living in Phoenixville.
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 6.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Helvetica; background-color: #ffffff} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} span.s2 {text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none; color: #2f2f5d} span.s3 {font: 16.0px ‘Helvetica Neue’; font-kerning: none; color: #191c1f} span.s4 {font: 16.0px Helvetica; text-decoration: underline ; font-kerning: none; color: #2f2f5d}
This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between Fideri News Network and The Media News Group. To read more stories like this, visit www.mainlinemedianews.com/ or https://www.delcotimes.com/.
