Please Attend The Rally To Save Lakewood Hospital

[Bill Call]

Monday, May 18th. We will meet in the front of Lakewood City Hall at 6:30. Everyone is being asked to wear 'red'.

The Hospital can be saved.
1,000 health care jobs can be saved.
Health care in Lakewood can be saved.

This is one time where YOU can make a difference.

[Michael Deneen]

A friendly reminder to attend this event on Monday evening outside City Hall.

If you're against this deal, now is the time to act.

[Matthew Lee]

I have to play devil's advocate : and then what? Meaning, what is hoped to be accomplished by this rally? Not that I am opposed, but definitely interested in the point.

[Betsy Voinovich]

Hi Matt--

When citizens gather in support of a cause it lets the larger community know the number of people who are earnest and passionate about an issue, something that might not otherwise be known. (See the life of Martin Luther King Jr., come to think of it, next time it should be a march.)

In terms of more proactive behavior, petitions are being circulated, elected officials are being contacted by letters and phone calls, signs and bumper stickers are being distributed.

On a different level, alternative choices other than surrendering our hospital to a Letter of Intent that will close the biggest economic engine in Lakewood, and strip us of any real medical care, are being closely examined and being shared with the public. And there's that lawsuit.

Come to the rally if you can. It will be fun.

Betsy Voinovich

[Bill Call]

I have to play devil's advocate : and then what? Meaning, what is hoped to be accomplished by this rally? Not that I am opposed, but definitely interested in the point.

And then what? is an excellent question.

I'm just speaking for myself.

1. Council should vote to disapprove the letter of intent. The purpose of this rally is to convince them to do just that.

The next steps are harder because while everyone has known for years that the Hospital was going to be moved to Avon no one had a coherent response. The LOI is just a very bad real estate deal disguised as a health care plan. It is a panic attack not an economic plan.

2. Every day of delay makes it harder to preserve what is left of a once great institution. The Clinic is moving more and more of the Hospitals business to Avon and Fairview. Lost business is sometimes gone forever.

3. Metro Health made a proposal back in May of 2014. Since no one responded to their offer they rescinded the offer on October 1st 2014. They have said they are still interested in negotiating some kind of deal. In a normal world the Mayor, Council, the Hospital Board and the Foundation would have spent the last year negotiating a deal with Metro. It’s still not too late. One purpose of the rally is to convince members of Council to take the initiative.

After that? Who knows.

Supporters of the deal think that Lakewood would be better off with a 100 employee referral clinic. One member of the Hospital Board suggested that some of the Foundations money could be used to provide bus transportation to Avon so the people of Lakewood could see their doctors. It’s that kind of thinking this rally is designed to change.

Instead of saying "bus Lakewood residents to Avon", wouldn't it be nice if the leaders of Lakewood's institutions said "If the people of Avon need to see a doctor the Hospital Foundation would be happy to provide transportation to Lakewood".

The Mayors job would be a lot easier if someone would let the public know just what kind of development is better than the $250 million benefit the City gets from the hospital. If they did that and it made sense I might end up supporting their plan. Replacing Lakewood Hospital with a recreation center makes no sense. Another purpose of the rally is to try to get some answers. What kind of development are they talking about?

It shouldn’t take a rally to convince the Leadership that replacing a Hospital with a recreation center is absolutely insane. Another purpose of the rally is to ask for some sanity.

[Michael Deneen]

I second Betsy and Bill's comments.

Lakewood has seen numerous examples of public opinion positively impacting our community.

*The Social Security office was set to move to Westlake about a decade ago.
*Beck Center was also nearly poached by Westlake
*St. James Parish was closed by the Diocese. Volunteer efforts went all the way to Rome to have it reversed.
*Grant Elementary was supposed to close a few years ago.
*The West End plan of 2003 was stopped by citizen action.

[marklingm]

From http://savelakewoodhospital.org:

Save Lakewood Hospital to Hold Rally, Present Petitions to Lakewood City Council

***Press Release***

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bill Grulich,

May 18, 2015

Communications Chair (216) 521-1239

Save Lakewood Hospital to Hold Rally, Present Petitions to Lakewood City Council

Lakewood, Ohio — On Monday, May 18, 2015, Supporters of Save Lakewood Hospital will rally and present petitions containing more than 2,000 signatures to Lakewood City Council. The petitions request City Council to reject a proposal brought forward in January by Mayor Mike Summers to close Lakewood Hospital and to establish a Cleveland Clinic Family Wellness Center. The proposal was memorialized on January 14, 2015, in a “Letter of Intent” signed by Lakewood Hospital Association, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and the Lakewood Hospital Foundation.


Save Lakewood Hospital Rally

When: Monday, May 18, 2015 at 6:30-7:30 p.m. Where: Front of Lakewood City Hall

12650 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, Ohio


Presentation of Petitions

When: Monday, May 18, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. Where: Council Chamber – City Hall

12650 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, Ohio


Save Lakewood Hospital is a grassroots citizens’ organization and was formed following the announcement of the proposal to close of Lakewood Hospital. Save Lakewood Hospital has been working with elected officials, community leaders, medical professionals, residents of the service territory of the Hospital and local businesses to preserve and promote Lakewood Hospital as a full service community hospital.

Lakewood Hospital was founded in 1907 by a group of doctors and became a municipal public hospital in 1930. Currently, the City of Lakewood leases the hospital to the Lakewood Hospital Association. In 1996, the Lakewood Hospital Association entered into a long-term lease ending in 2026 with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation for the operation of the hospital. The proposal outlined by the January 2015 Letter of Intent, would terminate the lease and result in the closure and demolition of the hospital. The Cleveland Clinic is currently constructing a new hospital in Avon, Ohio.

“The fact that the Cleveland Clinic does not need Lakewood Hospital does not mean Lakewood Hospital is not needed to meet the healthcare needs of our community,” said Marguerite Harkness, CPA, Chairwoman of Save Lakewood Hospital. “City Council must reject the Letter of Intent,” Ms. Harkness added.

Vice Chairman of Save Lakewood Hospital, Thomas Monahan stated: “The case for closure of Lakewood Hospital has not been made. The Cleveland Clinic is responsible for the reduction in patient volume by referring patients to other facilities and diminishing services. City Council must reject the Letter of Intent and pursue enforcement of the current contracts or seek another healthcare partner.”

http://savelakewoodhospital.org/save-lakewood-hospital-to-hold-rally-present-petitions-to-lakewood-city-council/

[m buckley]

I was proud to walk in solidarity tonight with my neighbors who are trying to save Lakewood Hospital. I was also struck by Senator Skindell's comments about the grassroots nature of this movement and how that concept of inclusiveness is so at odds with the shadowy machinations of Mr. Summers and Ms. Madigan.