Finish Norwood Hospital Task Force Offers a View into Hospital's Construction

Norwood General Manager Tony Mazzucco and the Finish Norwood Hospital Task Force conducted a site tour of Norwood Hospital with media in the Town of Norwood on Friday, April 18, as part of the Finish Norwood Hospital campaign, which seeks to reopen the hospital which was closed by Steward Health Care after a 2020 flood.

"As of our last site visit, we see less of a construction site," said Representative John Rogers. "We see a hospital."

"There's a lot of construction that still has to happen,” said General Manager Mazzucco. He noted a “critical need for health care and reasonable EMS response times” at a time when the region is quickly growing. Mr. Mazzucco estimates that over the last five years, more than 3,500 housing units have been constructed in the “core” of Norfolk County, and he expects several thousand more over the next few years.

Photo courtesy Town of Norwood. Norwood General Manager Tony Mazzucco and the Finish Norwood Hospital Task Force toured the construction site on Friday, April 18.

"I will tell you this much," Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) Executive Director Julie Pinkham said. "Most of the hospitals in Massachusetts are absolutely overwhelmed . . . they're literally stacking up patients in the hallways," she said.

The Town of Westwood, adjacent to the Town of Norwood, is part of the community affected by the current closure and potential reopening of the hospital.  Norwood Hospital is the closest hospital for many living and working in Westwood. But during the time that it has been closed, patients in need of local hospital services have perhaps most often received care at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham or Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton.

At Westwood Select Board’s April 7th meeting, Town Administrator Christopher Coleman said he hoped to schedule a May appearance by a representative of the Norwood Hospital rebuilding effort, so that Westwood Select Board could hear an update on the effort and ask any questions. He also noted that his staff will be working on a draft letter from Westwood in support of Norwood Hospital’s reopening, for Select Board’s consideration. Other nearby communities may be doing the same, he said.

At the direction of Gov. Maura Healey, General Manager Mazzucco has been leading a task force or working group that is reviewing health care needs of the communities previously served by Norwood Hospital. The Finish Norwood Hospital Task Force includes regional health care providers, public health officials, labor leaders, emergency service providers, community and business leaders, and elected and local government officials. It does not appear to include any elected or appointed official from the Town of Westwood.

Task force members include a number of Town of Norwood officials along with MNA Executive Director Pinkman; State Senator Michael Rush; State Representative John Rogers (12th Norfolk District); Canton Town Administrator/Retired Canton Fire Chief Charles Doody; Medway Town Manager Michael Boynton; Chief of Staff for the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts Rob Green; Roche Bros. CEO Rich Roche; Former CEO of Boch Enterprises Ernie Boch; President of the Massachusetts Building and Trades Union Frank Callahan State, and other individuals as well.

Although Westwood may not have a town official on the task force, Mr. Coleman noted that the Town of Westwood's interests are being represented. “We have representation from the fire chiefs association, the police chiefs association, and also the managers’ groups, so we have different representation on that,” said Mr. Coleman. “Not every single fire chief in the communities impacted is on it, police chief or town manager, but we are in constant communication with the organizers of the task force.”

Photo courtesy Town of Norwood. The Finish Norwood Hospital Task Force toured the construction site on Friday, April 18.

According to the Town of Norwood, in 2019, Norwood Hospital served 126,000 patients during its last full year of operation. The hospital turned a $11.2 million profit in 2018 and a $25 million profit in 2019. That same year, 42,705 people visited the emergency room, and the average length of stay for admitted patients was 5.3 days.

On Aug. 30, 2021, the state’s Department of Public Health issued an emergency Determination of Need application (DoN) to rebuild Norwood Hospital. Medical Properties Trust (MPT) has been rebuilding the hospital, but the Department of Public Health revoked the DoN for Norwood Hospital in the fall of 2024, noting a failure to meet a July 1, 2024 DPH-imposed deadline for the licensing and operationalizing of 61 inpatient hospital beds, which were intended to replace those which had been in existence prior to Norwood Hospital flooding.

As part of the Finish Norwood Hospital campaign, the Town of Norwood has launched a website dedicated to the campaign: FinishtheJobNorwood.com. On the website, visitors can access information about the new working group, view the history of Norwood Hospital, review a timeline of the closure, and get involved in advocacy efforts by signing letters to state officials.

Thanks to the Town of Norwood for sharing its news with Westwood Minute.

Updated 4/19/2025 at 10:19 a.m.

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