As negotiations continue over the sale of Norwood Hospital, two lawmakers are reviving their push to reopen the hospital.

On Monday, Rep. John Rogers and Sen. Michael Rush, both of whom represent Norwood, filed a bill (HD 5528) that would authorize the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to take the land the hospital sits on by eminent domain.

Rogers’ office said there are ongoing negotiations between Medical Properties Trust, the hospital’s current owner, and other hospital operators to complete construction and reopen the hospital.

While Rogers and Rush support those negotiations, the bill would offer another option to reopen the hospital if they fall through by authorizing the state to take over the property and transfer it to another hospital operator.

“We continue to urge all parties to reach a timely agreement. However, without significant progress, the people of Norwood and the surrounding region cannot afford further delay,” Rogers’ office said in a statement to the News Service on Monday.

The 215-bed hospital shuttered after devastating flooding in 2020 and construction to rebuild it was halted in 2024 after Steward Health Care stopped paying a contractor. The hospital’s current construction status is unclear. Rogers’ office did not respond to the News Service’s follow up questions on the construction. Suffolk Construction, which has worked on the project, also did not respond to the News Service’s questions on the project status.

Steward, a major for-profit hospital chain that ran eight hospitals in the state, filed for bankruptcy in May 2024. Five of its Bay State hospitals are under new operators while Nashoba Valley Medical Center and Carney Hospital shuttered. Medical Properties Trust, Steward’s landlord, acquired Norwood Hospital.

Medical Properties Trust did not respond to the News Service’s request for comment Monday.

“Norwood Hospital has long served as a critical anchor for emergency and acute care in the region, and its continued closure has placed significant strain on surrounding hospitals and families seeking timely care,” Rogers said in the statement. “This bill is about protecting the health and safety of the entire region by ensuring access to essential, life-saving care close to home.”