The Observation Deck

Will Brown wrote:Lakewood is a fringe community. If you haven't noticed, no one lives in Lake Erie. That leads to the conclusion that any business that wants to draw from a large body of clients or customers will not locate where they can't draw many from one direction.

Then why is there a downtown Cleveland? Why is there a Chicago or New York City? Why live in Lakewood if everything is somewhere else?

Fairview Hospital is less accessible than Lakewood Hospital and the new Avon hospital is just as close to Lake Erie as Lakewood Hospital.

Lakewood Hospital took in $135 million last year. That sounds like big business to me. Of course that $135 million will be transferred to the new Avon facility. The new Avon facility can only survive with the business provided by Lakewood residents and subsidies from Cuyahoga County.

More people live in Lakewood than in Avon and Avon Lake combined. Why shouldn't they
have to come to Lakewood to see the doctor?

When the hospital closes the City will be taking a $100 million cut in direct and indirect economic activity. What will that mean for property values? Where will all the bars get their customers? Where will all those people injured in bar fights get there medical care?

[quote="Bill Call"]the new Avon hospital is just as close to Lake Erie as Lakewood Hospital.
[/quote]

Lakewood hospital to the lake is a little over half a mile. Avon health center to the lake is nearly 4 miles or about the same distance as Fairview hospital is from Lakewood hospital.

Hey folks--
No point in squabbling over the past.
The Clinic chose Fairview over Lakewood, and the clock is ticking.

The key question is....what becomes of that building/site when the hospital closes?
Based on my experience with St. Augustine Manor (the former St. John's Hospital on Detroit Avenue), I believe that it should be converted into a skilled nursing home.

A nursing facility would make optimal use of the existing structure, and would keep a lot of jobs in Lakewood (nursing homes have a lot of employees).
In addition, nursing home residents would be considered Lakewoodites for Census purposes, increasing our population. (That 50,000 number will become a MAJOR goal in 2020).

I have a question for JOB:

The Observer has a very good relationship with ONeil HealthCare (the former Aristocrat/former Lakewood Senior Health Campus).

Please ask them if they'd consider moving into the Lakewood Hospital building when it becomes available. I think that would be a great scenario.

O'Neil could either expand its current operations to keep both facilities (the hospital site and the current Bunts/Detroit location), or it could move the entire operation into the new Hospital location.
If they relocate, that would open up their current site for new development.
Since it is just across the street from the vacant Spitzer lot, there could be some interesting possibilities. "Downtown" has been slowly creeping east (GetGo, Bob Evans), so these sites could become part of the sprawl.

Bill Burnett wrote:

Bill Call wrote:the new Avon hospital is just as close to Lake Erie as Lakewood Hospital.

Lakewood hospital to the lake is a little over half a mile. Avon health center to the lake is nearly 4 miles or about the same distance as Fairview hospital is from Lakewood hospital.

Made you look!

I first heard about the Clinic plans to build a new hospital in Avon about 8 years ago, around the time of Tim Hagan's dirty Ameritrust deal. The money Jacob's got for the Ameritrust building was to be used to help finance the new Clinic facility. The Clinic and Jacobs also needed Cuyahoga County assistance for the new freeway exit. I'm not sure if that was part of the original deal but I suspect that it was. A lot of well connected people owned land out that way.

Around that time I started writing here and elsewhere about what that meant for Lakewood. It didn't take a genius to conclude that there wasn't enough business for a new Avon Hospital and Lakewood Hospital.

The only thing that really surprised me was the complete lack of interest on the part of Lakewood City officials.

Did they believe the Clinics lies?

or

Did they think they had no choice but to accept the closure of Lakewood Hospital?

If they believed the lies do they still believe them?

If they don't believe them why are they silent?

Is the Plain Dealer correct when they write that Cuyahoga County is doomed?