‘Finish Norwood Hospital’ campaign launches petition

By Canton Citizen

At last week’s meeting of the Canton Select Board, board member Mike Loughran announced that the “Finish Norwood Hospital” campaign had launched a signature drive urging state lawmakers and Governor Healey to support Bill H.5192, a land-taking measure filed by Rep. John Rogers and Senator Michael Rush that would allow the state to take the hospital property by eminent domain in an effort to restore emergency and inpatient care to the region.

A catastrophic flood forced the closure of the hospital in 2020, and efforts to rebuild it stalled after its previous owner, Steward Health Care, encountered financial difficulties and filed for bankruptcy. Bill H.5192 has since been referred to the committee on House Ways and Means, but in order to move forward it must be enacted by July 31.

According to the Finish Norwood Hospital website, the goal is to collect at least 12,000 signatures — 1,000 from each of the 12 towns that have been directly affected by the hospital’s closure, including Canton.

To sign the petition, scan the QR code at finishthejobnorwood.com/sign-the-petition or click here for the direct link for the petition at change.org.