Legislature Enacts Emergency Law to Help Revitalize Norwood Hospital

The Massachusetts Legislature enacted emergency public health legislation today to clear the way for a speedy revitalization of Norwood Hospital. The legislation, H.5553, allows the state to take the Norwood Hospital property by eminent domain and transfer it to a new, nonprofit operator.

Residents of many communities in Norfolk County and Greater Boston have faced obstacles to health care access since Norwood Hospital was shut down six years ago. Subsequent attempts to reopen a hospital on the site failed due to the mismanagement and bankruptcy of its private equity-backed operator, Steward Health Care. Construction of a new hospital remains stalled amid concerning media reports about the out-of-state landowner, Medical Properties Trust.

“Today this Legislature has taken action to help clean up the wreckage left by the negligent actions of Steward Health Care, whose negligence and malfeasance left an entire region of our state without appropriate care,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “Senator Rush has been the driving force in the Senate to make sure this bill reaches the Governor's desk so that we can revive health care access for residents in the region, and I applaud his work. I’m also grateful for the support of my colleagues in the Senate, and our counterparts in the House, for getting this important legislation across the finish line.”

"The Legislature has heard from residents of Norwood and the surrounding communities about the urgent need for access to quality health care services,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy). “After the devastating flood in 2020 and the collapse of Steward Health Care in 2024, families in the region have faced significant challenges accessing the care that they need. It is our hope that an operator can now restore Norwood Hospital and ensure that this community once again has reliable access to quality health care. I would like to thank Representative Rogers and Senator Rush for their advocacy, as well as my colleagues in the House and our partners in the Senate for sending this bill to the Governor’s desk for her signature.”

“For too long, the residents of my district and the surrounding communities have paid the price for the reckless actions of corporations who put profits before patients. Today the Commonwealth proudly declares for all the world to hear: enough is enough,” said Senate Majority Whip Michael F. Rush (D-Boston). “I cannot express enough my gratitude to Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano for their leadership on this issue, to Representative John H. Rogers, who has always served as a peerless champion for the Town of Norwood, to Congressman Stephen Lynch, who has been an incredible partner, to the Healey-Driscoll Administration, and to the many legislative and local leaders who have fought for this at every step. We will have a hospital in Norwood again.”

"Norwood Hospital has been a vital healthcare institution for generations, serving not only the residents of Norwood but families throughout the surrounding communities,” said Representative John H. Rogers (D-Norwood). “Its closure left a tremendous gap in access to emergency and inpatient care, and our residents deserve to have those services back close to home. I am proud that H.5553 has been engrossed by the House, which is an important step toward giving the Commonwealth the ability to move forward with the hospital property and pursue a qualified nonprofit healthcare operator. This is about more than a piece of property. It is about restoring a critical healthcare resource that our communities have relied on for decades. I am proud to have worked closely with Senator Mike Rush on this effort, and I look forward to continuing our work together in the Senate to get this legislation to the Governor’s desk. We owe it to the families and communities who have depended on Norwood Hospital for generations to do everything we can to bring it back."

The Boston Globe has reported cases of people suffering medical emergencies in the region previously served by Norwood Hospital who had to be taken to hospitals farther away. The closure has also reportedly contributed to increased volume at crowded emergency rooms.

The legislation initiates an accountable public process to restore health care services at the Norwood Hospital site. The Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) would be authorized to take the property by eminent domain for the purpose of ensuring public access to health care. The bill also lays out a competitive bidding process to select a qualified, nonprofit operator to take over the health care facility.

Both branches of the Legislature enacted the bill and sent it to Governor Healey for her signature.