Wadsworth May Re-Open Full Service Hospital--Why Not Lakewood?

[Brian Essi]

Wadsworth has a population of only 22,000 people.

The Wadsworth area leadership fought for the people. Too bad Lakewood's leadership just pressed the "EasyButton" and caved in to special interests.

Stay tuned...

Here is the Akron Beacon Journal article:
A full-service community hospital may be returning to Wadsworth.
Summa Health System and the Wadsworth-Rittman Area Joint Township Hospital District Wednesday released a joint statement announcing a settlement which ends nearly three years of legal wrangling over whether Summa wrongfully shrank the Medina County hospital to little more than an emergency room and doctors’ offices.
The district — made up of Wadsworth city officials and those from two neighboring townships — claimed Summa reneged on its legal obligation to maintain a full-service hospital in Wadsworth when it acquired the facility in 2008 for $1.
On Wednesday, both the hospital district and Summa claimed victory.
“I’m very optimistic we’re getting our hospital back,” said Bruce Darlington, a Wadsworth councilman who serves as the hospital district board chairman. ‘‘This was never about money. It was about having a hospital in Wadsworth.’’
Dr. Mark Terpylak, a Summa executive who oversees its population health mission, said Summa looks forward to continuing providing outpatient care to Wadsworth.
“Our primary focus throughout this process has been finding an appropriate resolution that ensures the health care needs for the people of Wadsworth and the surrounding communities remain front and center in everything that we do,” Terpylak said in a news release.
The settlement announcement came six days after Summa’s board accepted the resignation of its CEO and President Dr. Thomas Malone. Without a settlement, the case with the hospital district would have gone to trial Feb. 13 in Medina County Common Pleas Court.
Highlights of the settlement include:
• Summa will transfer the Wadsworth-Rittman campus land to the hospital district and then lease the land for $250,000 annually for an initial term of five years. Summa will also pay an additional $1 million to the district at the beginning of the lease. Summa will have the option to renew the lease for five successive two-year terms for a total of 15 years. At the end or non-renewal of the lease, Summa will transfer ownership of the campus buildings to the hospital district.
• The hospital district has 18 months to find a group to operate its campus as an inpatient, acute-care hospital. If the district makes a deal, Summa will transfer ownership of the buildings to the hospital district at that time.
• If the district doesn’t find an operator, Summa will invest $3.75 million during the initial five-year lease term for capital improvements. Of that, a minimum of $2.5 million must be spent on improvements and equipment at the Wadsworth-Rittman campus and up to $1.25 million for capital improvements and equipment either on the campus or elsewhere in the Wadsworth-Rittman service area.
• For the remaining lease terms, Summa Health will invest a minimum of $1.5 million in the Wadsworth-Rittman service area during each two-year renewal term, with a minimum of $1 million invested in the Wadsworth-Rittman campus during each term, for a total additional investment of up to $7.5 million over 10 years of renewal periods.
• For as long as Summa occupies the Wadsworth-Rittman campus, it will provide emergency room/urgent care, outpatient surgery, primary care, specialty support in cardiology and general surgery, diagnostic imaging, and outpatient lab services. If no inpatient operator is found, Summa will provide a minimum of four observation beds at the facility.
Attorney Jeff Witschey, who represented the hospital district, said Wednesday the bulk of the settlement came together Jan. 25, when lawyers and representatives for each side of the dispute spent 10 hours in mediation.
Summa’s Malone, who did not comment on the settlement, sat in on the mediation along with Summa Vice President Terpylak, Witschey confirmed. The next day, Summa’s board accepted Malone’s resignation, but Malone agreed to lead the hospital system for up to 60 days to smooth a transition of power.
Malone did not comment on the settlement Wednesday. Summa officials declined to say whether his pending departure influenced the settlement. Summa officials also declined to answer questions about why Terpylak, on behalf of Summa, issued a statement and whether his role at the hospital had changed in the wake of Malone’s resignation.
Witschey, however, offered some insight. As part of the lawsuit, he said, the hospital district had claimed Summa’s pursuit of population health ran counter to its obligation to run a community hospital.
Among other things, population health emphasizes outpatient services. A full-service hospital like Wadsworth-Rittman had offered everything from a maternity ward to rooms where patients could stay overnight after surgery or for several days after a trip to the emergency room or some other complicated health crisis.
Terpylak has spearheaded population health for Summa, and Witschey described him as “an empathetic listener” during last week’s mediation.
Witschey said his firm will remain involved as the hospital district sets out to find a new operator for the Wadsworth hospital.
“We imagine operators are going to read about this in the newspaper and we’re going to reach out to them and start talking,” he said.
He said the hospital district is open to all operators, whether it be a big hospital system like Cleveland Clinic or University Hospitals — which have been pushing south from Cleveland — or Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, which promotes itself as the only physician owned and operated hospital in the area.
Hospital district board leader Darlington said his group has received some nibbles from interested operators over the years, but talks couldn’t get serious until the litigation with Summa was resolved.
“The settlement opens that door now,” he said.
It was unclear Wednesday whether either the Cleveland Clinic or University Hospitals would be interested. But a spokesman for Western Reserve — which is also involved in ongoing litigation with Summa — said he was unaware of any plans for Western Reserve to get involved in Wadsworth.
Amanda Garrett can be reached at 330-996-3725 or agarrett@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @agarrettABJ A full-service community hospital may be returning to Wadsworth.
Summa Health System and the Wadsworth-Rittman Area Joint Township Hospital District Wednesday released a joint statement announcing a settlement which ends nearly three years of legal wrangling over whether Summa wrongfully shrank the Medina County hospital to little more than an emergency room and doctors’ offices.
The district — made up of Wadsworth city officials and those from two neighboring townships — claimed Summa reneged on its legal obligation to maintain a full-service hospital in Wadsworth when it acquired the facility in 2008 for $1.
On Wednesday, both the hospital district and Summa claimed victory.
“I’m very optimistic we’re getting our hospital back,” said Bruce Darlington, a Wadsworth councilman who serves as the hospital district board chairman. ‘‘This was never about money. It was about having a hospital in Wadsworth.’’
Dr. Mark Terpylak, a Summa executive who oversees its population health mission, said Summa looks forward to continuing providing outpatient care to Wadsworth.
“Our primary focus throughout this process has been finding an appropriate resolution that ensures the health care needs for the people of Wadsworth and the surrounding communities remain front and center in everything that we do,” Terpylak said in a news release.
The settlement announcement came six days after Summa’s board accepted the resignation of its CEO and President Dr. Thomas Malone. Without a settlement, the case with the hospital district would have gone to trial Feb. 13 in Medina County Common Pleas Court.
Highlights of the settlement include:
• Summa will transfer the Wadsworth-Rittman campus land to the hospital district and then lease the land for $250,000 annually for an initial term of five years. Summa will also pay an additional $1 million to the district at the beginning of the lease. Summa will have the option to renew the lease for five successive two-year terms for a total of 15 years. At the end or non-renewal of the lease, Summa will transfer ownership of the campus buildings to the hospital district.
• The hospital district has 18 months to find a group to operate its campus as an inpatient, acute-care hospital. If the district makes a deal, Summa will transfer ownership of the buildings to the hospital district at that time.
• If the district doesn’t find an operator, Summa will invest $3.75 million during the initial five-year lease term for capital improvements. Of that, a minimum of $2.5 million must be spent on improvements and equipment at the Wadsworth-Rittman campus and up to $1.25 million for capital improvements and equipment either on the campus or elsewhere in the Wadsworth-Rittman service area.
• For the remaining lease terms, Summa Health will invest a minimum of $1.5 million in the Wadsworth-Rittman service area during each two-year renewal term, with a minimum of $1 million invested in the Wadsworth-Rittman campus during each term, for a total additional investment of up to $7.5 million over 10 years of renewal periods.
• For as long as Summa occupies the Wadsworth-Rittman campus, it will provide emergency room/urgent care, outpatient surgery, primary care, specialty support in cardiology and general surgery, diagnostic imaging, and outpatient lab services. If no inpatient operator is found, Summa will provide a minimum of four observation beds at the facility.
Attorney Jeff Witschey, who represented the hospital district, said Wednesday the bulk of the settlement came together Jan. 25, when lawyers and representatives for each side of the dispute spent 10 hours in mediation.
Summa’s Malone, who did not comment on the settlement, sat in on the mediation along with Summa Vice President Terpylak, Witschey confirmed. The next day, Summa’s board accepted Malone’s resignation, but Malone agreed to lead the hospital system for up to 60 days to smooth a transition of power.
Malone did not comment on the settlement Wednesday. Summa officials declined to say whether his pending departure influenced the settlement. Summa officials also declined to answer questions about why Terpylak, on behalf of Summa, issued a statement and whether his role at the hospital had changed in the wake of Malone’s resignation.
Witschey, however, offered some insight. As part of the lawsuit, he said, the hospital district had claimed Summa’s pursuit of population health ran counter to its obligation to run a community hospital.
Among other things, population health emphasizes outpatient services. A full-service hospital like Wadsworth-Rittman had offered everything from a maternity ward to rooms where patients could stay overnight after surgery or for several days after a trip to the emergency room or some other complicated health crisis.
Terpylak has spearheaded population health for Summa, and Witschey described him as “an empathetic listener” during last week’s mediation.
Witschey said his firm will remain involved as the hospital district sets out to find a new operator for the Wadsworth hospital.
“We imagine operators are going to read about this in the newspaper and we’re going to reach out to them and start talking,” he said.
He said the hospital district is open to all operators, whether it be a big hospital system like Cleveland Clinic or University Hospitals — which have been pushing south from Cleveland — or Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, which promotes itself as the only physician owned and operated hospital in the area.
Hospital district board leader Darlington said his group has received some nibbles from interested operators over the years, but talks couldn’t get serious until the litigation with Summa was resolved.
“The settlement opens that door now,” he said.
It was unclear Wednesday whether either the Cleveland Clinic or University Hospitals would be interested. But a spokesman for Western Reserve — which is also involved in ongoing litigation with Summa — said he was unaware of any plans for Western Reserve to get involved in Wadsworth.
Amanda Garrett can be reached at 330-996-3725 or agarrett@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @agarrettABJ

http://www.ohio.com/news/wadsworth-may- ... %252frk%25

[Jim O'Bryan]

Wadsworth has a population of only 22,000 people.

The Wadsworth area leadership fought for the people. Too bad Lakewood's leadership just pressed the "EasyButton" and caved in to special interests.

Brian

Lakewood's "leadership" decided to expedite the loss of our largest employer, while grabbing some money for themselves.

They didn't cave to special interests, they plotted to liquidate public assets into private groups only they control.


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[cmager]

Summa's CEO Malone resigned after the Wadsworth mediation. Imagine the alternate world where Lakewood's Mayor and City CouncilFollowers stood up to the Cleveland Clinic, and Cosgrove resigned. lolz...