The Tower Health system, which has hospitals in Montgomery and Chester counties, will close Brandywine and Jennersville hospitals in Chester County, following the collapse of their sale to Canyon Atlantic Partners due to the lack of secure financing, writes Harold Brubaker for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Jennersville will close on the previously announced date, December 31, while the last day of operation for Brandywine will be January 31. The closures will leave thousands of Chester County residents, including those who live in the poor sections of the wealthiest county in the state, without nearby emergency care.

Health care experts are especially worried about the loss of Brandywine’s inpatient psychiatric division, which is the only one in Chester County.

According to Tower Health, “no viable options” remained to continue running the two money-losing hospitals.

The health system pulled the plug on the sale deal after the buyer neither showed “the necessary regulatory and operational preparedness nor validated its financial ability, to complete this transaction and operate these hospitals.”

Chester County elected officials said they were blindsided by the announcement of the closures.

Chester County Commissioner Josh Maxwell criticized Tower leadership for agreeing to sell the hospitals to a company “that may or may not have even known how to run a hospital.”

Read more about the closings in The Philadelphia Inquirer.