Jefferson Abington Hospital (Image courtesy of Google StreetView)
Jefferson Abington Hospital has closed its 23-bed inpatient behavioral health unit and repurposed it as an emergency department surge area to handle overflow as patient volumes rise, according to a report.
While the unit will no longer admit psychiatric inpatients, the hospital says it will continue to provide crisis stabilization, psychiatric evaluations, and outpatient behavioral health services. Jefferson declined to say when the transition occurred, whether any staff were laid off, or whether the psychiatric unit might reopen.
The change comes as Jefferson Health undergoes broad restructuring across its 32-hospital network and after recently laying off 600–700 employees amid significant financial strain, including a $104 million operating loss in the first quarter of fiscal 2026.
Advocates worry that shifting patients in mental health crisis into a busy emergency department could worsen their experience, especially without dedicated quiet spaces. Abington’s psychiatric unit treated 350 patients in 2024, serving as an important entry point for stabilizing patients before transferring them to specialized psychiatric facilities.
Nearby options for inpatient psychiatric care include Holy Redeemer Hospital’s 24 beds, Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia’s 37 beds, and 16 beds at Jefferson’s flagship hospital. Jefferson declined to specify where Abington patients will now be transferred.
