Summers, LHA's Gable Take Fifth on Future of Hospital?

[Brian Essi]

1. On January 15, 2015, Mayor Summers, Tom Gable (the Chairman of LHA) and the Clinic proudly issued a press release in which Summers cited the “GOOD NEWS” that Lakewood Hospital would be demolished. That same day, they also held a press conference. This press release contained false statements about a $120 million investment in Lakewood and remains posted front and center on OneLakewood.com.

2. On June 4, 2015, LHA trustees voted to not extend the LOI to demolish the hospital—The Clinic, Summers and Gable did not issued a press release and they did not make any public statements about their decision or the future of Lakewood Hospital. Again, they have not retracted the January 15th press release. Rather, four days later on June 8th, Law director Kevin Butler (not an LHA trustee) announced the June 4th LHA vote at a Council Meeting of the Whole and made a rather vague statement that the Clinic and LHA are working on the possibility a “new definitive agreement.”

3. While Summers, Gable and the Clinic are secretly hatching their “new definitive agreement” without public input, they appear content with the ongoing damage to the hospital caused by their premature and apparent ongoing announcement that the hospital is closing. Unlike in January when they were all too eager to get the news out, they are keeping us in the dark this time around.

So we now have no agreement to close the hospital, but a public perception that it is closing. Very strange indeed.

Could it be that their lawyers have ordered them not to speak because of the legal jeopardy they put themselves in? Will the lawyers be in charge or control of the public statements like Butler's statement last week?

[Bill Call]

Your analysis is spot on.

The people served by Lakewood Hospital should be particularly concerned about the deliberate degradation of the Hospital emergency services.

One woman told me someone she knows went to Lakewood emergency room with abdominal pain. After a long wait they were ushered in to see a doctor. The patient was then put in an ambulance and transferred to Metro. He was told the procedure could not be done at Lakewood Hospital.

His appendix ruptured on the way to Metro.

A reliable source mentioned that an abdominal procedure CAN be done at Lakewood Hospital and there was no medical need to transfer the patient.

Does someone have to die before the Mayor and the LHA get the message?

Why are the Mayor and LHA so eager to destroy the Hospital? The official line just doesn't make any sense.

It seems their immediate goal is do as much damage as possible and as quickly as possible. What are their fiduciary duties? What are their liabilities for failure to perform those duties?

I'm sure the new Mayor will put a stop to this but will the election come to late? Will the Mayor and the Board succeed in the deliberate acts of sabotage? There goal is to leave nothing of value. Will they succeed?

[Jim O'Bryan]

Why are the Mayor and LHA so eager to destroy the Hospital? The official line just doesn't make any sense.

It seems their immediate goal is do as much damage as possible and as quickly as possible. What are their fiduciary duties? What are their liabilities for failure to perform those duties?

I'm sure the new Mayor will put a stop to this but will the election come to late? Will the Mayor and the Board succeed in the deliberate acts of sabotage? There goal is to leave nothing of value. Will they succeed?

Bill

Not just with the hospital, many programs are being pushed through before the election. Some have said that "State Senator Skindell is trying to save the hospital for political reasons. Well the Mayor is destroying the hospital giving the money to a friend to build a rec center before the election. The Mayor is building the stairs to almost the water, for political reasons, and the choice for the parade was 100% political.

Last Friday I was talking to a group that was seriously thinking about an injunction against the administration from doing anything but necessary services, as the pandering the lies, and the accelerated efforts are more about painting us into a corner the doing anything for the good of the community.

As was pointed out to me by Brian Essi, none of this was to see the light of day until after the filing deadline, so that the Mayor would have been loaded for bear should anyone challenged him. It is all about politics, and the city should say NO!

FWIW


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[Bill Call]

Last Friday I was talking to a group that was seriously thinking about an injunction against the administration from doing anything but necessary services, as the pandering the lies, and the accelerated efforts are more about painting us into a corner the doing anything for the good of the community.

I think that the secretive group behind these efforts is surprised about the quality of the leadership of Save Lakewood Hospital, it's broad support in the community and the rise of a credible candidate to oppose Mayor Summers.

Senator Skindell is a politician who saw an opportunity and he took it. It helps that he also believes that Lakewood Hospital can and should be saved.

The problem is that the Mayor and his supporters are doubling down. They are no longer content with the slow degradation of the Hospital. They are now engaged in an effort to do as much damage as possible.

Can we get an injunction before it is too late?

What are the rights of citizens of Lakewood when those entrusted with the responsibility to protect an institution become actively hostile to the existence of the institution they are sworn to protect?