The news rocketed around the health care industry and the Philadelphia region.

The corporate owners of Crozer were declaring bankruptcy and shutting down the health system, based in Delaware County. The implications for regional health care were massive; for the residents, it meant their training was at risk, and the patients under their care might suddenly lose access to a doctor.

Crozer’s Family Medicine department served a large population of low-income patients, mostly insured by Medicaid, in a part of Delaware County with few other choices for care. The department, and particularly the family medicine residency program, was a primary care lifeline for nearly 25,000 patients a year who received their care at family health clinics in Upper Darby and Springfield.

But today, the former Crozer residents are still together, treating the same patients after their training program found a new home earlier this year at Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital. Transitioning the active residency program — more than a year before a new program was slated to begin at the hospital — was a journey involving many late nights, unforeseen regulatory obstacles, and a lot of creative optimism.

The former Crozer residents were bringing to life a scene of teaching that Chester County Hospital leaders had long envisioned, as they are now in the thick of the three years of rigorous training that go into a family medicine residency. The in-hospital training takes these new doctors across specialties from the emergency department to the surgery floor, intensive care units, and—putting the “family” into family medicine—including obstetrics, newborn nursery, and pediatric units. These doctors also continue to see patients at the pair of outpatient clinics in Delaware County that were the base of the out-of-the-hospital clinic experience while the program was at Crozer.

Before the former Crozer residency program joined Chester County Hospital, hospital leaders were already in the process of developing a family medicine residency program, with a target of opening in July 2026. Now, the successful program is happening at Chester County Hospital a full year sooner than expected. “They had a hospital without a program, we had a program without a hospital,” said Bill Warning, MD, the former director of the Crozer family medicine residency program and now the co-director of the program at Chester County Hospital.

The program’s move to CCH also means that the primary care patients in Delaware County won’t be losing their doctors. All of the staff who are part of the family medicine program at the ChesPenn Center for Family Health at Upper Darby and the Springfield Center for Family Health are in their same roles, just under the Penn Medicine banner. The residents will continue their outpatient training at those clinics even as the inpatient training moves to Chester County. Read more about the new Family Medicine Residency program at Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital.

Looking for a Family Medicine practice? The Penn Medicine Family Medicine Woodland Avenue practice, formerly known as the Springfield Center for Family Health clinic, allows patients of all ages to develop long-term relationships with highly skilled physicians. The board-certified Family Medicine physicians and medical residents are trained in the latest techniques and technology, ensuring you receive evidence-based medicine with direct access to all of Penn Medicine’s resources.

Delivering regular preventive care as well as treatment for illnesses, injuries, and chronic conditions, your care team partners with you to meet your care needs today and throughout your health care journey, from infancy through adulthood. The Penn Medicine Family Medicine Woodland Avenue practice also offers sports physicals, wellness visits, and follow-up care for those discharged from the hospital.

Learn more at Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital. Chester County Hospital is a 329-bed facility in West Chester, offering a comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient services, including advanced surgical, oncology, and maternal care. Established in 1892, the hospital is dedicated to serving Chester County and the surrounding areas with high-quality medical care and extensive community health programs.