A fire destroyed Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital in 2023, forcing it to close. Now, more than a year later, its doors reopened Tuesday with some improvements for patients.
While the hospital was closed, patients had to be treated at other area hospitals, which meant they had to spend up to 36 hours sometimes to get seen. Now that Signature Health has reopened, patients can expect shorter wait times.
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The hospital reintroduced itself with renovated facilities, including the lobby, a new outpatient surgical center and a revamped emergency department featuring a 12-bed mental health triage unit.
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"They're going to have more mental health bed available and at South Shore Hospital, I have friends that work there. It's just overcrowded so maybe that could give them some relief," said Erin Murphy, healthcare worker.
It's been 17 months since an electrical fire forced the evacuation of nearly 200 patients and the closure of the hospital.
"We were breathing in the smoke. Yeah, eyes were watering, people were coughing. It was scary," said Bob Haffey, Signature Healthcare president and CEO.
Since then, Good Samaritan and South Shore hospitals had to absorb the roughly 60,000 patients that would go to Signature Health every year.
"It was brutal, you know?" said Brockton resident Greg Cheney.
The reopening was a welcome sign for Cheney who felt like he had few alternatives to get care.
"Good Samaritan is overwhelmed, you know? The wait was sometimes like 24 hours," said Cheney. "I went in there one time with a possible heart attack, and they had me waiting, and waiting.”
Now, the wait is over, and the CEO can't wait to get back to work.
"I've never been through something like this. Most people haven't, and so we're ready to write the playbook on how to reopen a hospital from a fire," said Haffey.
Haffey said they're starting with 900 employees and expect to add another 300 once the maternity, pediatric and behavioral health units reopen by the end of the year.
Signature Healthcare said they've been around for 125 years and would like to see 125 more.
