You may have driven past it many times and wondered what the Valley Forge Medical Center and Hospital even was, but now it is for sale an efforts to save this long-time institution are underway.
Founded in 1950 as a heart hospital, the Valley Forge Medical Center and Hospital is now home to an 86-bed addiction recovery center. Sitting on two tracts of land totaling 70 acres of land in East Norriton Township, this is an attractive target for developers.
The trust, formed in 1966 after the passing of the Hospital's founder and renowned cardiologist Joseph Wolffe has overseen the Hospital's operation. The Trust recently filed a petition in Montgomery County Orphans Court to dissolve the Trust, citing losses 2 of the past 5 years. The petition cites the original intention of this hospital was to treat patients who suffer from heart conditions but the hospital failed to attract such patients when Dr. Wolffe passed away and the reputation of the hospital suffered. Attention was eventually turned towards treating substance abuse and addiction and in 1973, the word "Heart" was dropped from their name. The petition cites the hospital as unsuccessful.
The petition goes on to cite their financial losses for 2 of the last 5 financial years as their main reason to not only sell the hospital but to fully dissolve the will of Dr. Wolfe by enacting a clause in his will which allowed for such action if the hospital is deemed "unsuccessful". Orphans Court Judge Cheryl Austin granted the Trust permission to dissolve and vacate the will on April 8, 2019, view the decision here.
The Trust has instructed their broker to seek out both new owners of the facility and real estate investors so it can evaluate all options.
A petition was started on Change.org by Rachel Attwood requesting Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro to help ensure the 86-bed treatment facility stayed open under new ownership and did not become just another real estate development. At the time of this article, there are currently over 1,000 signatures in support of the petition.
