Norwood Hospital provided an estimated $2.4 million in healthcare community benefits for residents in Norwood, Canton, Walpole and surrounding communities in 2014, according to a report recently published by the Office of Massachusetts Attorney General. In addition, Norwood Hospital paid $1.4 million in tax revenues for Norwood, which helps to support local schools, public safety, and other town departments and programs.    

“We are a community hospital and the health and well-being of the people in this community is our foremost priority,” said Kim Bassett, RN, BSN, MBA, Norwood Hospital interim president. “Supporting our community with preventative screenings, information, and opportunities to access health care is a key component of who we are as an organization.”  

In 2014, Norwood Hospital implemented various programs aimed at promoting access to health care, chronic health maintenance, healthy diets and lifestyles, behavioral health and substance abuse services. These initiatives included providing a Community Health Care Worker to assist patients with accessing insurance, and scheduling appointments with physicians; conducting support groups with certified diabetes educators; participating in Farmer’s Market Healthy Cooking demonstrations; partnering with DOVE (Domestic Violence Ended) to facilitate support programs; and targeting the growing opiate addiction crisis by participating in local substance abuse coalition, Impact Norwood.

In addition, Norwood Hospital team members, many who live in the communities they serve, donated more than 600 hours of their personal time to community initiatives and events.

“Massachusetts hospitals continue to display their commitment to serving the needs of their communities,“ Attorney General Healey said in a June 2nd press release. “These programs are important resources to help identify and address the unmet needs of underserved and at-risk populations.”

All non-profit hospitals are required to provide community benefits; however, Norwood Hospital, part of the Steward Health Care System, provides the same level of community benefits as non-profit hospitals as well as pays real estate taxes to the Town of Norwood. In 2014, the taxes totaled nearly $1.4 million, which makes Norwood Hospital one of the largest taxpayers and employers in the Town of Norwood.

About Norwood Hospital
Norwood Hospital is a full-service, 263-bed community hospital for adults and children with a focus on delivering world-class health care along with the latest advances in technology and treatment options. Norwood Hospital is part of the Steward Health Care System LLC, the largest integrated community care organization in New England which combines over 3,000 physicians, 10 acute care hospital campuses, managed care, insurance programs, home care, an imaging operation, and a number of other post-acute services, to provide the most cost effective and highest quality of integrated patient care. Additional information is available at www.norwood-hospital.org