Norwood General Manager Tony Mazzucco and the Finish Norwood Hospital Task Force toured the construction site and spoke to the media on Friday, April 18. (Photo Courtesy Town of Norwood)
NORWOOD — Norwood General Manager Tony Mazzucco and the Finish Norwood Hospital Task Force welcomed media members to a Norwood Hospital site tour and press conference on Friday, April 18, as part of the Finish Norwood Hospital campaign.
“There’s a lot of construction that still has to happen,” said General Manager Mazzucco. “But there’s interest, and there’s certainly a need. Beyond the critical need for health care and reasonable EMS response times, this region is growing at an incredible pace. In the core of Norfolk County, over the last five years, there have been more than 3,500 housing units constructed. There’s another 3 or 4,000 on the way in the next couple years.”
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.
At the direction of Gov. Maura Healey, General Manager Mazzucco has been leading the task force in a review of the health care needs of the communities previously served by Norwood Hospital, which was closed by Steward Health Care after a 2020 flood.
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.
Task force members, including President of the Massachusetts Building and Trades Union Frank Callahan, Massachusetts Nurses Association Executive Director Julie Pinkham, and state Rep. John Rogers, joined media members on a site tour, followed by a press conference and brief Q&A session on Friday afternoon.
“I will tell you this much,” MNA Executive Director Pinkham said. “Most of the hospitals in Massachusetts are absolutely overwhelmed … they’re literally stacking up patients in the hallways.”
“As of our last site visit, we see less of a construction site,” said Rep. Rogers. “We see a hospital.”
As part of the Finish Norwood Hospital campaign, the Town of Norwood has also 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.
“To those who say there are too many hospital beds in Massachusetts, that’s just not true,” said Callahan.
Norwood Hospital was operating as an acute care facility with 130-plus beds and an emergency room with a catheterization lab. By census population, the catchment area includes 12 towns and 250,000 residents.
The cascading effect of transports to other hospitals is impacting towns outside of the catchment area, creating devastating regional impacts for emergency medical services.
Rep. Rogers said reopening Norwood Hospital is “critically necessary.”
On Aug. 30, 2021, DPH issued the emergency 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, citing Steward’s closure. Norwood and its surrounding communities need the state to reconsider that revocation.
“I don’t think it’s a question of if we open Norwood Hospital, but when,” said MNA Executive Director Pinkham.
To follow the Finish Norwood Hospital campaign, visit the campaign website or the campaign’s socials: Facebook, X, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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Finish Norwood Hospital Task Force member state Rep. John Rogers addressed the media after a construction site tour. (Photo Courtesy Town of Norwood)
Members of the media joined the Finish Norwood Hospital Task Force for a tour of the construction site. (Photo Courtesy Town of Norwood)
Norwood General Manager Tony Mazzucco makes the case why it’s vitally important to reopen Norwood Hospital. (Photo Courtesy Town of Norwood)
Members of the media joined the Finish Norwood Hospital Task Force for a tour of the construction site. (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. (Photo Courtesy Town of Norwood)
The Finish Norwood Hospital Task Force toured the construction site on Friday, April 18. (Photo Courtesy Town of Norwood)
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