New bill could pave the way for Mass. to take over Norwood Hospital

NORWOOD, Mass. — Two state lawmakers filed a bill Monday to allow the state to take over the property of Norwood Hospital.

State Senator Michael Rush and Representative John Rogers filed the bill Monday that would give the state control over the property through eminent domain.

“We are thrilled that Senator Rush and Representative Rogers continue to make sure this issue is forefront in people’s minds, and hopefully it puts a little bit of pressure on the process to move forward,” said Tony Mazzucco, Norwood’s General Manager.

Under the law, the state could take over to turn this back into a hospital faster if there’s a public health emergency in the area.

“You have one of the healthiest, wealthiest regions of the healthiest wealthiest state in the country and healthcare’s a disaster in the region right now,” said Mazzucco.

Mazzucco says there’s been a public health crisis in Norfolk County ever since historic flooding forced the hospital to shut down in 2020.

“Right now if somebody has a heart attack in the town of Norwood or any of the surrounding towns, you’re going to Brockton or into Boston, so we’ve clocked that for an average transport time for a critical care incident is 39 minutes,” said Mazzucco.

While he’s happy to see a new bill put pressure on the reopening of this hospital, Mazzucco says there has been significant interest from operators to buy the property over the last six months with negotiations ongoing.

Medical Properties Trust is the real estate firm that still owns the property, and they just completed a new parking garage on site.

“We’re confident that they wouldn’t be investing in the property if they didn’t know that they think there was a sale on the horizon,” said Mazzucco.

But the shell of a hospital still stands awaiting a deal to get it back up and running.

“We’re gonna get there one way or another, and knowing what the outcome’s gonna be, everyone should just sit around the table and come to the best deal practical for it,” said Mazzucco.

The state did use eminent domain to take over Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton in 2024.

Boston 25 reached out to the property owner of Norwood Hospital, Medical Properties Trust, about this new bill but has not yet heard back.

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