NORWOOD, MASS. (WHDH) - After six years of uncertainty, people in Norwood said they’re finally feeling some relief after Governor Maura Healey signed a law aiming to get Norwood Hospital back on track.
Healey signed a bill Friday putting a deadline on the current owner to get the hospital moving again, six years after a massive flood shut it down.
The current owner, Medical Properties Trust (MPT), has until November 1 to find a qualified nonprofit healthcare operator.
“They have been terrible to deal with,” Healey said. “Which is why we take this law, and I sign this law to say no, we’ve gotta do what we need to do. Either MPT is going to play ball or we are going to kick them out and take over.”
In June 2020, rushing water burst through the basement, and just as rebuilding efforts got underway, Steward Health Care filed for bankruptcy in 2024, putting the project on pause.
Now, people who have fought to bring the hospital back say they’re ready to move forward.
Former Norwood Hospital workers and first responders were among those turning out to support the move and said they hope it happens soon.
If MPT does not find an operator, the law allows the state to move forward with acquiring the property through eminent domain.
In a statement, an MPT spokesperson said:
“MPT has spent more than $350 million of its own money to rebuild Norwood Hospital. No other party has put private capital into the project. As recently as May 2026, MPT executed a $6.6 million elevator-related change order — evidence of continued, active investment, not neglect.”
“Roughly 75% of the hospital’s core and shell, including the structural frame, building envelope, and parking garage is complete and weather tight. The remaining 25% is unfinished because clinical interiors must be built to a specific operator’s care model, equipment needs, and licensing requirements. This is work that can’t reasonably proceed without an operator in place.”
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