NORWOOD, MA — A proposal aimed at bringing hospital care back to Norwood moved another step forward Wednesday.
The Massachusetts Senate passed an amended Norwood Hospital eminent domain bill on July 29, sending it back to the House after adopting new text from Sen. Michael Rush (D- Norfolk and Suffolk). The bill would authorize the state to take the former Norwood Hospital property at 800 Washington St. by eminent domain to restore access to health care.
Norwood General Manager Tony Mazzucco called the Senate vote "a significant and deeply meaningful step forward for our region" in a town update on Wednesday.
"This moment is meaningful, but it is not the end of the work. There are still important steps ahead and a long road before us, Mazzucco wrote in the update.
The Senate amendment would require the state Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to run a competitive bidding process for a qualified nonprofit entity to use the property as a health care facility.t. The legislation also says the taking would be subject to a specific appropriation, a property appraisal and acceptance of an offer from a qualified nonprofit organization.
The bill would take effect Nov. 1, 2026, according to the Senate amendment. If a qualified nonprofit entity does not complete a purchase by Jan. 15, 2033, the state could sell, lease or otherwise transfer the property, with Norwood retaining a right of first refusal, according to the amendment.
Norwood Hospital inpatient operations at 800 Washington St. stopped after a June 2020 flood, according to a transition and closure plan filed with the state.
The House passed an earlier version of the bill July 1, according to the Massachusetts Legislature. After Wednesday's Senate amendment and vote, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Bills in the Third Reading.
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