Norwood Rallies To Get Hospital Rebuilt One Year After Flooding

NORWOOD, MA — Members of the Norwood community got together in front of the closed Norwood Hospital Sunday night to rally and advocate for the rebuilding and reopening of the facility.

The rally was organized by The Coalition to Rebuild Norwood Hospital, and focused on the strain the closing of the hospital has put on neighboring hospitals and emergency services just to make up for the deficit.

The hospital had to close its doors June 28, 2020 after a historic flood left massive damage to the building. The torrential rain caused four inches of rain to hit Norwood in under 90 minutes, flooding the basement and parking lot of the hospital while damaging vital systems that run through the building including the HVAC and mechanical systems.

The closing of the hospital has forced surrounding hospitals to take on the extra burden, as patients had to be moved, and hundreds of healthcare employees were displaced or furloughed in the wake of the flood.

At the time, hospital officials said it would take a year to rebuild, leaving no updates on a reopening date.

During the rally, the Coalition called for the community to come together for three goals: that Norwood Hospital be rebuilt; that it be rebuilt without delay; and that it be reopened as a full-service hospital including all prior services.

According to a Facebook post, one of the attendees of the rally was Martha Welch, a Covid-19 survivor, who said, "If it hadn't been for this hospital and these nurses, I wouldn't be here today to talk about it."