Metro made proposal, Lakewood Hospital declined?

[Betsy Voinovich]

According to an article this week in the Plain Dealer,
Metro Health WAS interested in running Lakewood
Hospital and Lakewood said no.

From the article:

Lakewood Hospital Association trustees repeatedly have said MetroHealth withdrew from talks about operating the hospital, but a MetroHealth spokeswoman on Tuesday seemed to say Lakewood made the decision.

"Yes we responded to the [request for proposals]," MetroHealth spokeswoman Tina Shaerban Arundel said in a written statement. "The city of Lakewood decided to go with the Clinic's proposal."

The letter from Metro Health to Mayor Summers can be found at the bottom of the article. I'll post the link in a second.

Betsy Voinovich

[Betsy Voinovich]

Here is the link.

http://www.cleveland.com/lakewood/index ... ms_to.html

I just read the whole article. It
has info that I think merits another post.

Betsy Voinovich

[Bill Call]

At the last Council meeting one LHA member alluded to a deal with Metro. He said something along the lines of "they" wanted it all. I think that was in context of a discussion about the $50 million in hospital investments and the $34 million in the Foundation.

Sometimes the members of a foundation think foundation needs to continue forever.

Does the City have rights to the investments of a City owned Hospital?
Are there any restrictions on the use of that money?

Can the Lakewood Hospital Foundation continue without a hospital? The Board wants to use Foundation money to finance health initiatives all across Northeast Ohio. Does that make any sense?

Bureaucracies like to speak in code. As I read the letter some kind of offer was made but a response was required by October 1st. Since Metro did not receive a response they withdrew the offer.

A Metro run hospital with an attached family health center would be a real plus. Perhaps a condition of the Cities and Foundations financial investment could be:

No facility fee.

The people of Rocky River and Bay could be enticed to return to Lakewood Hospital.

The Clinics deal offers a substandard facility that would charge for parking and charge a facility fee and offer such limited service that the patient would have to go to Lorain County for further treatment.

Sounds like a facility designed to fail.

The big question:

Can the Cleveland Clinic be trusted?

[marklingm]

The big question:

Can the Cleveland Clinic be trusted?

That's only your big question now because we already know the answer to whether the Mayor, City Council, the Lakewood Foundation/Board/Association, and "City Hall & Friends" can be trusted. - i.e., No. They can't be trusted.

[cameron karslake]

That's true Matthew. More and more it seems our elected officials have become mouthpieces for the Clinic. They say "nothing's been decided" but if you listen to what they say, their mind is made up! "This is the future of healthcare in Lakewood", Summers says. Haven't we all had it up to here with OUT SOURCING of services in this country?

Well, I guess that means there will be no "real" healthcare in Lakewood down the road. Just a health center with some band aids. Only TWO doctors? Wow. Plus, if the Clinic gets their way, there will be no other options for care in Lakewood because if this goes through that is part of the deal, a monopoly for the Clinic.

[Jim O'Bryan]

That's true Matthew. More and more it seems our elected officials have become mouthpieces for the Clinic. They say "nothing's been decided" but if you listen to what they say, their mind is made up! "This is the future of healthcare in Lakewood", Summers says. Haven't we all had it up to here with OUT SOURCING of services in this country?

Well, I guess that means there will be no "real" healthcare in Lakewood down the road. Just a health center with some band aids. Only TWO doctors? Wow. Plus, if the Clinic gets their way, there will be no other options for care in Lakewood because if this goes through that is part of the deal, a monopoly for the Clinic.

Cameron

For what it is worth. I do not believe we need a traditional hospital in ten years. I am
willing to bet that the Lakewood Hospital is a white elephant in 6 years. However I am livid
with the process and the lies and spin from elected officials. I also find it to be ethically
wrong to keep fellow council people in the dark and lie to them.

The PD as a source, they printed the original story was wrong, and printed that there would
be at least 100 beds, and Metro was still in the mix. Of course at the time these were lies
as Metro, "feeling used" said no mas. Mayor Summers and Councilperson knew these were
lies when the PD printed them unvetted. So much for facts.

The Metro Proposal included the Clinic putting up $60 million dollars to their $40 million,
Do you see that as a real proposal with any possibility of being approved?

The Clinic did not ask for this deal, they were answering an RFP by the Mayor. So much for
the big bad clinic screwing Lakewood over. FACT

Some hospitals have said behind the scene "Why bid on anything where there is a ten year
contract in place by someone more than large enough to sue to keep it in place." Some
have said this is why no real offers were made. There are other offers out there being put
together but will council, The Association give them the time of day? Who knows?

.

[cameron karslake]

Jim,
I hear what you are saying but somehow it just doesn't seem right that a city of 7500 in a low density area gets a new hospital and a city of 52000 in a very high density area is not allowed to keep their existing hospital.
I am new to this situation and don't understand what this "RFP" is. The RFP is something Summers presented to the Clinic? Please explain more how you feel that it is Summers that is driving all this and not the Clinic. That is an angle I am having a hard time understanding and would really like to.

ctk.

[Jim O'Bryan]

Jim,
I hear what you are saying but somehow it just doesn't seem right that a city of 7500 in a low density area gets a new hospital and a city of 52000 in a very high density area is not allowed to keep their existing hospital.
I am new to this situation and don't understand what this "RFP" is. The RFP is something Summers presented to the Clinic? Please explain more how you feel that it is Summers that is driving all this and not the Clinic. That is an angle I am having a hard time understanding and would really like to.

ctk.

Cameron

While what you say makes all the sense in the world in a vacuum, we are not in a vacuum.

A request for proposal (RfP) is a solicitation, often made through a bidding process, by an agency or company interested in procurement of a commodity, service or valuable asset, to potential suppliers to submit business proposals.Wikipedia

In this instance the Mayor sent out an RFP for proposals dealing with his thoughts and
Subsidium's thought on health care in the future. The first time no responses, the second
request 3 responses came back.

The Mayor is under no obligation to accept any of them.

We have a contract through 2026 with the Clinic that can be enforced. The Clinic has no
issue going through to the end of the contract.

And now the issue, do you wait until 2026, or start the process earlier? It seems from
everyone I have spoken to from the Mayor to the Doctors, 5 years will see the beginning
of a massive change in health care. So do we wait until it is not worth anything(overstatement)
Or do we bet the farm, and gamble on soccer fields errr rec center, errrr health and wellness?

AS the entire process was flawed and possibly illegal if not severely ethically challenged it
makes sense to use the time we have with the dance partners we have to study the
problem for the correct outcome. After all we are risking out future, this is our largest
employer, and health care provider. It is our anchor.

The Mayor could end all of this tomorrow by saying no to the LOI.

But he won't.

.

[m buckley]

Jim, I have no doubt that there will be massive changes in health care over the next 5-10 years but does that mean there will be no hospitals. Did Avon not get the memo that the future of health care will be treadmills, soccer fields and minute clinics?

[m buckley]

I want to add that what disturbs me most about all of this, is the process. The lack of truth and transparency that has now become a hallmark of this clique. Whether it's Grace Ave or this Lakewood Hospital mess, we have an oligarchy posing as a democracy. The end result is an administration that views it's constituents as obstacles. Residents are something to be dealt with, rather than listened to. Mr. Summers, Mr. Siley and Ms. Madigan have fostered a divisive political culture that simply isn't acceptable.

[Jim O'Bryan]

I want to add that what disturbs me most about all of this, is the process. The lack of truth and transparency that has now become a hallmark of this clique. Whether it's Grace Ave or this Lakewood Hospital mess, we have an oligarchy posing as a democracy. The end result is an administration that views it's constituents as obstacles. Residents are something to be dealt with, rather than listened to. Mr. Summers, Mr. Siley and Ms. Madigan have fostered a divisive political culture that simply isn't acceptable.

Read the response from Metro, and see the light for the first time...

They were asked to put a "Rec Center" into their answer.

We are losing the hospital because some mediocre managers, and some sloppy oversight,
was over looked and tolerated so that some that continue to lie and misslead can get their
Rec Center and Soccer fields.

Read it an weep, sold out by our elected officials and their friends.

.

[Lori Allen _]

Why do some of our city leaders appear to be hell bent on putting up a rec center when there are already a lot of opportunities in and around our city? Here are some examples:

1. There are two Anytime Fitness facilities right across the Cleveland border, one at Warren Village & one by W. 115th & Clifton.

2. Planet Fitness is in Rocky River at Beachcliff Place Shopping Center, a stone's throw from the Lakewood border.

3. We have the YMCA right here in Lakewood.

4. There are several Yoga studios right here in Lakewood.

5. Nearby Metroparks has miles of walking/biking trail.

6. You can walk or bike almost anywhere within our city, especially in Lakewood Park.

7. We have two bowling alleys in Lakewood.

8. We have a skate park and tennis courts.

9. We have some basketball courts in Lakewood, except for the one at Kauffman Park, due to the mayor's apparent inaction to deal with the alleged "threat".

10. There is a walking track at First Federal Stadium.

11. The best resource that we have here is the Lakewood Recreation Department, offering baseball, basketball, soccer, swimming, etc.

I am not sure what the membership fee would be for this "rec center" that some of our city leaders want, but I suspect that it would be more than what most of us can afford. There are a lot of activities out there that are fairly reasonable or free. How would you like to be the person that paid for a house on a nice street and get to look at soccer fields all day (not that most of our city leaders would care).

[Jim O'Bryan]

Jim, I have no doubt that there will be massive changes in health care over the next 5-10 years but does that mean there will be no hospitals. Did Avon not get the memo that the future of health care will be treadmills, soccer fields and minute clinics?

mb

Yes they did get that memo. It is my understanding that Avon is already being downsized.

Also, there is at least on hotel there, possibly two, and a Senior Center. This is one of the
aspects of future health care. Insurance companies have found it far cheaper to store us
in hotels than hospitals. To feed us into hospices and senior centers for our trip to ?

IT is crazy where we are headed. Is it with ZERO hospitals, I would say no. But the trends
are showing that hospitals will play a much smaller role in our lives.

Lori_

Now on to your point. 3 Soccer Fields, and where grant money might appear seems to be
what is fueling much of this. What is now very apparent is that as far back as 2010/2011
The Rec Center was a solid idea. PROVING the Active Living Task Force is a Charade AGAIN,
by the folks that bring residents, and voters so many charades and BS.

So now City Hall is and has been lying about that all along for over two years.

The much vilified Matt Markling was right all along about the "Michael P Summers Rec
Center and Natatorium." But then Matt is not prone to lying.

"We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas,
alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge
the truth and falsehood in an open market is afraid of its people."
John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Take some time go back and read the Observer historical archives. All of this has been
laid out for over ten years. Conspiracy freaks, or honest conversation?

.

[m buckley]

Jim, The last I read they we're planning to put in 126 private rooms in the new complex. Has that been downsized? I agree with you about the future of hospitals. Clearly Dr. Cosgrove has come to that determination.