This September, five Delaware County municipalities — Swarthmore, Nether Providence, Upper Providence, Rose Valley, and Rutledge — voted in favor of establishing a new Emergency Medical Services (EMS) authority.
The authority is called the Municipal Emergency Medical Services Authority (MEMS) of Delaware County and will provide the five communities with stable funding for emergency health services and equipment, including ambulances. According to its website, MEMS plans to be fully operational beginning in January 2027, supporting an estimated 34,000 of Delaware County’s roughly 600,000 residents.
Crozer Health Closure, Formation of MEMS
Discussions about the establishment of a joint EMS authority began in the spring of 2025, after for-profit healthcare group Prospect Medical Holdings filed for bankruptcy and closed its Delaware County hospital system, Crozer Health. Until that point, Crozer Health had been the largest system in the county.
Crozer’s dissolution led to the closure of Taylor Hospital and the Crozer-Chester Medical Center, the latter of which was the only designated trauma center in the area. The shutdowns strained EMS providers and endangered Delaware County residents with longer ambulance rides and emergency room wait times.
In response, MEMS of Delaware County, a public nonprofit, attempts to provide health services with more “stability … protected from private-sector disruption,” according to an informational presentation. The organization’s goal is to restore sufficient Advanced Life Support (ALS) services in the area, which allow more invasive procedures and various medications beyond the scope of Basic Life Support (BLS) services.
The new MEMS appointed board includes representatives from all five participating municipalities, with Swarthmore Mayor Conlen Booth representing the borough.
The project’s 2025 working group members included both current and former municipality officials (elected and administrative), as well as Ben Reid, an attorney who assisted in developing Lancaster County’s similar program, Municipal Emergency Services Authority (MESA).
According to Patch, a hyperlocal news platform, the Delaware County system will be modeled after MESA.
Other Municipalities Respond
After participating in initial discussions about the new service, leaders of Media Township later opted out of the authority’s plan, citing cost optimization. Borough Manager Brittany Forman explained that Media already established a contract with Main Line Health to receive ALS services, which were less expensive than the financial and operational plan outlined by the MEMS board.
However, Forman emphasized that Media’s council remains interested in MEMS’s implementation process, and may “keep the dialogue open” on future steps beyond the current year. The authority stated in a public hearing that MEMS will maintain a mutual aid relationship with Media Township: MEMS responders may answer calls from Media, and Media’s responders may answer calls from the other five municipalities.
The city of Chester, already facing some of the most severe public health challenges in the state of Pennsylvania, was particularly affected by the loss of Crozer and its ALS services. In response, the local government moved to partner with the nonprofit VMSC Emergency Medical Services in the spring of 2025, with the help of the Delaware County Council. In April 2026, Chester secured a deal with VMSC for the next five years, valued at $2.8 million.
MEMS Funding and Progress
The authority will explore collecting fees paid by property owners, insurance reimbursement, and state and federal grants. Currently, the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development provides financial assistance.
In an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer, Mayor Booth noted that a recent update to the funding model features a shared fee system intended as “the most equitable way to ensure that a reliable EMS service is available to everyone who may need it.”
Currently, municipality residents would pay a $95-per-year rate (which translates to less than $8 per month) as opposed to a rate conditional on property tax amounts. This rate is similar to local voluntary firehouse subscription models, MEMS board member and Nether Providence Township Commissioner Max Cooper told the Inquirer.
During a public hearing before the ordinance to establish MEMS was approved, Upper Providence resident Justin Perry criticized the fees, calling them “tax increase[s].” Other community members at the session agreed. Another Upper Providence resident and Ambulance Corps member Vince Delvacchio pushed back, asking Perry where he thought he’d be getting an ambulance if MEMS wasn’t established.
The board announced that the shared fees cannot be substantially changed without a two-thirds majority vote, but can change subject to Philadelphia’s consumer price index. The authority’s funding will not draw from residents alone, but also asks businesses, nonprofits, and municipalities to pitch in to lessen the need to raise residents’ taxes.
However, there is limited information available as to how this additional funding will be structured. The MEMS authority will notify residents by mail before the upcoming Fall 2026 fees hearing, open to public comment and a 45-day objection period.
Operationally, the authority is deciding between options for staffing and equipment, especially in collaboration with Main Line Health. According to Booth, MEMS may own all ambulances and equipment while contracting Main Line staff, or contract all services while the board manages the contract.
According to its website, the authority is currently building before launch, filing the articles of incorporation, seating the board, notifying property owners, and holding the fee hearing.
