Two lawmakers said they are filing a bill Monday for the state to take Norwood Hospital by eminent domain, creating a potential pathway for the former Steward hospital to reopen under a new owner.
Reopening the flood-ravaged hospital, which has been shuttered for over five years, has been a top priority for the town and its residents. Following Steward Health Care’s 2024 bankruptcy, Norwood is the last hospital in the state still owned by an Alabama-based real estate investment trust linked to Steward.
State Representative John Rogers said several unnamed prospective hospital operators are interested in buying Norwood Hospital and are negotiating with its landlord, Medical Properties Trust.
Rogers said he is encouraging the parties to reach a deal, but as negotiations continue, he and State Senator Michael Rush, both Democrats who represent the area, are simultaneously seeking a different tactic to get the hospital into the hands of a new operator — using state muscle.
The bill’s draft language, shared with the Globe, would authorize and direct the state’s Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to take the property by eminent domain.
The goal would ultimately be to secure a new operator for the site, whether through a deal signed with the landlord, or a sale to a new operator by way of the state.