State House Advances Emergency Legislation for Norwood Hospital to Senate

Emergency legislation to authorize the state to acquire the Norwood Hospital property through eminent domain has been approved by the Massachusetts House of Representatives on Wednesday, July 1, and the bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.
Bill H.5553, amended from the previous H.5192, would authorize the state’s Division of Capital Asset Management, subject to appropriation, to acquire the hospital property and transfer it to the Department of Health. Under the proposed legislation, the health department could then sell, lease, or convey the land to a qualified nonprofit hospital operator.
“Today’s House vote represents meaningful progress. We are grateful for Rep. Roger’s hard works, the support of his fellow House members, and the leadership shown by House Speaker Rep. Ronald J. Marianoff. However, our work is not finished,” said Norwood Hospital Task Force member Jack McCarthy, retired executive director of the Massachusetts School Building Authority.
Along with Rep. John Rogers (12th Norfolk), the bill is co-sponsored by Michael Rush (Norfolk and Suffolk), Paul McMurtry (11th Norfolk), Thomas Moakley (Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket), Paul Feeney (Bristol and Norfolk), Colleen Garry (36th Middlesex), Patrick Kearney (4th Plymouth), Edward Philips (8th Norfolk), Jeffrey Roy (10th Norfolk), Marcus Vaughn (9th Norfolk), William Galvin (6th Norfolk), and Christopher Flanagan (1st Barnstable).
As the Massachusetts Senate considers the bill, the task force is urging residents, businesses, and community members throughout the region to contact their state senators to make their views known.
The House vote to approve the emergency eminent domain legislation came just a week and a half after the release of Norwood Hospital Task Force’s June 22 interim report, titled, “Restoring Our Regional Hospital.” In the report, the task force cited increased hospital transport times and lack of acute care services in the communities which had been served by Norwood Hospital. The task force urged the state legislature to employ eminent domain in order to reopen the hospital was closed by Steward Health Care after a 2020 flood.
Steward Health Care began rebuilding the hospital, but its bankruptcy placed the property into the hands of Medical Properties Trust (MPT), an Alabama-based real estate investment trust.
According to a recent statement by Norwood General Manager Tony Mazzucco, MPT raised its asking price by 50% during negotiations with a local hospital operator.
“The continued closure of Norwood Hospital has affected families, patients and first responders across the region,” said Norwood General Manager Tony Mazzuco, who encouraged community members to contact their state senator and Senate President Karen E. Spilka. “All of our affected communities must work together to help finish the job,” he said.