BROCKTON — The Brockton area gets one of its hospitals back on Tuesday, Aug. 13.
Brockton Hospital, owned by Signature Healthcare, has been mostly closed since a 10-alarm fire and evacuation on Feb. 7, 2023. The blaze caused little visible damage, but it destroyed the electrical system.
The reopening means that for the first time in 553 days, Brockton will have two emergency departments.
Robert Haffey, president and CEO of the non-profit health system, said the hospital will be more “patient-centric” when it reopens.
“Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital has provided safe, quality healthcare to the community for the past 125 years, and we are dedicated to continuing this legacy for another 125 years and beyond,” Haffey said in statement Tuesday, Aug. 25.
The full reopening, originally expected by the end of 2023, should ease pressure on hospitals including Good Samaritan Medical Center. That should mean fewer patients waiting in hallways at nearby emergency departments.
Maternity, pediatric and behavioral health units still closed
Aug. 13 completes the planned three-phase reopening. Three hospital programs will remain closed, however: the maternity unit (no labor or delivery), the pediatric unit (for children) and the behavioral health unit, for people needing mental health care or support with addiction.
Hospital officials don’t have a timeline for bringing back those three services, according to Lorraine McGrath, associate vice president for marketing and communications.
Good Sam embroiled in bankruptcy crisis Watchdog warns of nursing gap at Good Sam as Brockton Hospital reopens. Impact on patients
What changes did Brockton Hospital make while it was closed?
Patients will see a lot of changes. They include:
- Updates to the emergency department.
- A new outpatient surgical facility.
- Improvements to the main lobby.
- Enhancements to the cardiac catherization lab.
- Solar panels atop the parking lots will provide 1.5 megawatts of power.
Brockton’s only other hospital embroiled in Steward bankruptcy crisis
The reopening of Brockton Hospital also offers a bright spot amid the crisis with hospitals run by Steward Health Care. The Dallas-based for-profit system has declared bankruptcy. It has already announced plans to close its hospitals in Dorchester and Ayer. The future remains unclear for nearby Steward hospitals, which are all up for sale: Good Sam in Brockton, Morton in Taunton and Saint Anne’s in Fall River.
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