Brockton Hospital reopens more than a year after electrical fire
BROCKTON – Tuesday marked a major milestone as Brockton Hospital opened for the first time in more than a year.
Employees and patients returned for the first time since February 2023 when an electrical fire forced the evacuation of 160 people and shut down the hospital.
"A lot of people in these areas have difficulty with transportation, difficulty with fiance, difficulties with language so they need the community hospitals to get the services that they so desperately need," nurse Cindy Boyd said.
Staff members are excited to see the hospital reopen.
"Just super excited, can't wait to get back to some type of normalcy," hospital IT worker Glen Stanley told WBZ-TV Tuesday.
"This is the best day I've had in a year and a half," Brockton Hospital CEO Bob Haffey said.
Brockton Hospital reopens
Following the fire, Stanley's team had to move all of their computer systems across the street.
"At the hospital, we're in the middle of it, versus if we're across the street and something happens we have to run across the street to get to the hospital. So it's a little different being in the action than across the street," Stanley said.
Since the hospital's closure, other hospitals, EMS crews, and medical offices have felt the strain. Patients were left waiting hours in emergency departments and months for appointments.
"It just gives us more places to go with the patients. We're not standing in lines, long lines at the other hospitals. Patients have more options," one EMS worker said.
"We're not waiting for four hours waiting for a bed. Makes our resources available quicker," another EMS worker said.
Haffey says it's time for people to have something to celebrate after Steward Health Care's financial troubles shut down several Massachusetts hospitals.
"Steward's wreaked havoc on the health care system in Massachusetts. It is up to the other hospitals to pick up the pieces," Haffley said.
Upgrades at Brockton Hospital
With Tuesday's opening comes the debut of several new facility upgrades and features.
Patients can anticipate improved cardiac catheterization labs, a new outpatient facility, and a behavioral health unit now within the emergency department.
"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," the hospital said in a statement.
The maternity department is set to open in September. Pediatric, mental health, and other services will be added later in the year.