Business leaders and community members in Chester County are bracing themselves for the impact of any potential sale or closure of Tower Health’s Brandywine, Jennersville, and Phoenixville hospitals, writes Harold Brubaker for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The nonprofit that acquired the three hospitals – plus two more in the region – three years ago is considering selling or even closing them in an attempt to recover from its huge debt load and massive losses that began even prior to the pandemic.

While the sale to a for-profit entity would reduce the hospitals’ ability to help poor people, the loss of either would be an even bigger blow, said Maureen Tomoschuk, who runs Community Volunteers in Medicine.

“The distance, access to transportation are the big very challenges,” she said.

Executives at Nottingham-based Herr Foods are also worried about a possible closure, as having the Jennersville emergency department 20 minutes away is a blessing. The nearest alternatives are all much further away.

“It does scare me to think about (them) being an hour away,” said Bob Landis, senior vice president of human resources at Herr Foods.

Read more about Tower Health in The Philadelphia Inquirer here.