Norwood Hospital closure having impact on other hospitals

NORWOOD, Mass. — When Dianne Visconti thinks about her cherished, and now-shuttered community hospital, she shakes her head.

“What a loss,” said Visconti.

Norwood Hospital, part of Steward Health Care, closed nearly three months ago after severe storms inundated parts of the facility causing widespread damage.

When Norwood Hospital closed, patients had to use nearby community hospitals, though the closest one is six miles away, in Needham.

“We have had a sizable increase in volume,” said John Fogarty, President of Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham.

“It certainly has been noticeable.”

Fogarty also said the hospital added staff to its behavioral health and emergency departments to meet the increased demand.

“We certainly don’t want another hospital in the community to be closed but if we have to rise to the occasion, we will,” Fogarty added.

Fogarty said he did not have specific statistics to illustrate the volume increase as total visits are generally viewed on a yearly basis.

“We have seen on average about 10-15 more patients a day since the closure,” said Heidi Wilson, Director of Communications at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, another hospital in close proximity to Norwood.

In a statement, a Norwood Hospital spokesperson said Norwood Hospital’s providers are still accepting patients at their primary care, orthopedics, imaging, and physical therapy offices in surrounding communities.

"Throughout this process, patient safety continues to be our top priority. We are working day and night to assess the damage and formulate a plan and timeline for next steps. Based on the extent of the flooding, it did take a number of weeks to remove debris and dry out the building. We need to check every piece of equipment, every outlet, every inch of drywall for damage in order to be 100% sure that there is no risk to our patients now or in the future. To do this, we engaged an interdisciplinary team of experts that continues to assess all aspects of our facility, infrastructure and equipment from a patient safety standpoint. "

When asked about concerns over mold given the rainwater and significant damage, the spokesperson said this:

“We undertook a substantial abatement process to remove all damaged or moisture-impacted materials and equipment from the building. We continue to assess every piece of equipment and every inch of the facility for damage in order to be 100% sure that there is no risk to our patients or staff in the future.”

For people in Norwood like Dianne Visconti who adored their community hospital, it is hard to be patient.

“We’d love to see it rebuilt as quickly as possible,” Visconti stated.

At this point, a spokesperson said there is no timeline or next steps as hospital leaders await assessment on each part of the facility that was damaged nearly three months ago.

The closure has made an impact beyond the hospital walls, but also has affected Norwood’s generally bustling town center.

“During an already struggling economy, there are hundreds of hospital employees that used to eat and shop in Norwood Center, that are no longer doing so, further straining those business resources,” President and CEO of the Neponset River Regional Chamber.

Cox Media Group