Exclusive look at work being done inside Brockton Hospital, one year after fire
BROCKTON - WBZ got an exclusive look at the work being done inside Brockton Hospital, one year after a massive electrical fire knocked the facility out of commission.
Brockton Hospital President Bob Haffey remembers how frantic it was.
"I was actually up on the floors helping to move patients on that day," Haffey said. "It was scary. There was smoke, it was hard to breathe, and as you can imagine there was sort of organized chaos."
More than 160 patients were evacuated and not a single injury during the firefight.
"I guess if there's any silver lining, it's reimagined, repurposed and it's going to provide excellent quality healthcare to Brocktonians and beyond," Mayor Robert Sullivan said.
WBZ joined Brockton's mayor and hospital leaders on a walkthrough of the work with a full reopening date set for June.
"Probably in the safest hospital in Massachusetts because we have a completely renovated electrical system," Haffey said.
There will be at least two new operating rooms, a nurse's station, and several outpatient bays.
It's a sigh of relief for the nearby Brockton Neighborhood Health Center that's seen their waitlist top 1,000 patients since Brockton Hospital closed, leaving people with limited options.
"It's very stressful for us," said Maria Celli of Brockton Neighborhood Health Care. "We want to make patient access; it is a top priority for us. We are always trying to maneuver our team to make space for our new patients."
Brockton Hospital plans to have the emergency room and inpatient department reopen in June, a goal they've been working on for a year.
"When people walk in there, like I just did, they're going to be amazed," Mayor Sullivan said.