Heywood Hospital and Athol Hospital under “Code Black Diversion”
This was posted by Heywood Hospital just after 3pm on October 13, 2025: “Important Update: Heywood Hospital and Athol Hospital are currently on Code Black Diversion due to a network outage affecting phones and internet. Our teams are working diligently to resolve the issue and ensure that patient care remains our top priority. We appreciate the patience of our community and the dedication of our staff during this time.” Yesterday, Heywood Hospital also experienced a network issue which placed it on Code Black diversion for a period of time. According to Heywood, Athol Hospital remained operational throughout yesterday, but is affected today.
Explanation: In Massachusetts, “Code Black” is an internal hospital status which means the Emergency Department is closed to all incoming patients due to an internal emergency. Code Black allows for the closure of the Emergency Department itself. However, hospitals must have a plan to screen and treat anyone who arrives and they are not allowed to turn away ambulances if the hospital is capable of providing care.