Dr. Max Cooper:
ER Doctor. Navy Veteran. Township Commissioner.
Nearly 20 years ago, I moved to Southeastern Pennsylvania to attend Jefferson Medical College. During my training, I married my wife, Nicole, here in Delaware County, and over the years we built our life in a community we’re proud to call home.
After completing medical school and my Emergency Medicine residency, I joined the U.S. Navy, serving as an emergency physician at a combat trauma hospital in Afghanistan during Operation Freedom's Sentinel. My military service taught me that when people unite behind a common mission, they can overcome even the toughest challenges.
When I returned home, I chose to build my career in Delaware County caring for patients at Crozer. In the emergency department, I saw firsthand the struggles of so many in our community families facing medical crises, addiction, mental illness, violence, and financial hardship. I also witnessed something that should never have happened: the collapse of Crozer Health after years of private equity putting profits over patients.
As resources disappeared, physicians, nurses, EMS workers, and hospital staff worked tirelessly to keep caring for patients despite impossible circumstances. There were days when we were repairing essential medical equipment with zip ties and superglue just to keep them in service. We stretched every dollar while watching a healthcare system that generations of Delaware County families had relied upon unravel before our eyes. Our patients deserved better. Our families deserved better. And so did the healthcare workers who never stopped showing up for our community.
These experiences strengthened my commitment not just to caring for patients, but to rebuilding healthcare in Delaware County. I knew that fixing these challenges would require more than treating patients one at a time; it would require bringing people together to build lasting solutions. Since Crozer's closure, I've worked alongside fellow municipal leaders, healthcare professionals, and county officials to rebuild our fractured emergency medical system. I've worked to bring municipalities together to establish the Municipal EMS Authority of Delaware County, creating a stronger regional approach to emergency medical services. I also serve on Crozer's local advisory board as we continue the fight to restore hospital services throughout our county.
My commitment to service also led me to run for office. In 2019, I was elected to Nether Providence's Board of Commissioners and sworn in just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic. As the Board's only physician, I helped coordinate our Township's disaster response while continuing to care for patients in the emergency department. This experience reinforced my belief that good government is about bringing people together, making difficult decisions, and delivering results in times of crisis. My colleagues elected me Vice Chair of the Board in 2026, reflecting our shared commitment to regional cooperation and strengthening emergency services.
Beyond Delaware County, I am co-founder and Board Chair of the Committee to Protect Healthcare, a national organization of more than 50,000 healthcare professionals advocating for affordable, accessible, universal healthcare, reproductive freedom, and stronger public health policies. Whether advocating in Harrisburg, Washington, or here at home, my work has always been grounded in the experiences of the patients and families I've cared for here in Delco.
My wife, Nicole, and I are raising our two young sons here in Delaware County. Like every parent, we want them to grow up in a community with strong schools, safe neighborhoods, and access to the high-quality healthcare every family deserves.
I've spent my career running toward emergencies, not away from them. As a Navy physician, emergency doctor, local elected official, and healthcare advocate, I've had a front-row seat to the collapse of our healthcare system, and I've been on the front lines of the effort to rebuild it. That's why I'm running for County Council. Delaware County has always been a community that refuses to give up when times get tough. I believe we fight for one another, and together we can build a healthier, stronger, and more resilient future for every family in Delco.