The Observation Deck

This is an article in the Plain Dealer from December 28, 1907. It is the opening of Lakewood Hospital. If you all enjoy I will keep on researching. Let me know!

Rhonda Loje

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/o ... 2F6DF22455

Article from the Plain Dealer in January 5, 1987 in which the city decides to lease the hospital to a private entity. The structure and administration of this private entity is discussed in this article.


http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/o ... 2F6DF22455

Plain Dealer Article from January 6, 1987 on who the Lakewood Hospital Association board for Trustees would be comprised of and how it would be governed.

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/o ... 2F6DF22455

December 13, 1996 Plain Dealer Article as Council approval for lease to Cleveland Clinic becomes near:

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/o ... 2F6DF22455

Plain Dealer: December 18, 1996

LAKEWOOD

LAKEWOOD HOSPITAL LEASE

City Council on Monday approved a controversial new lease agreement with the Lakewood Hospital Association, essentially endorsing the proposed merger of the hospital with the Cleveland Clinic.

"Lakewood Hospital is a vital part of this community. This is a very important step forward. I enthusiastically support this new agreement," said Council President JoAnn Boscia.

The current lease had 16 years remaining. The hospital sought a longer term to be a more attractive merger partner, said hospital spokesman Jerry Mallicoat. The new agreement is to run 30 years.

There was little opposition from residents at the meeting.

Council Vice President Robert M. Seelie responded to past criticism that the city was rushing its vote by saying, "In public life, when you make a decision, you get criticized and questioned. When you don't make a decision, you get criticized and questioned."

The merger could be completed by spring.

Found this fascinating, as of June 2014

From US News...
Lakewood Hospital is a general medical and surgical hospital in Lakewood, OH, with 250 beds. It is also accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). Survey data for the latest year available shows that 35,180 patients visited the hospital's emergency room. The hospital had a total of 8,647 admissions. Its physicians performed 2,131 inpatient and 3,221 outpatient surgeries.

http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/oh/lakewood-hospital-6411490

If you get a chance look through the 4 pages on information.


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Plain Dealer April 19, 2000: it quotes that 36,000 patients used the emergency room before the expansion.

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/o ... 2F6DF22455

This may help to understand the change in governance:

MERGER OF LAKEWOOD HOSPITAL, CLINIC SOUGHT
Plain Dealer, The (Cleveland, OH) - November 15, 1996Browse Issues
Author: THOMAS J. QUINN PLAIN DEALER REPORTER
Readability: 11-12 grade level (Lexile: 1260)
Lakewood Hospital would merge with the Cleveland Clinic under a proposal sent yesterday to the City Council.

The merger would give the hospital the economic clout to compete in the changing health care market, said Mayor Madeline A. Cain.

The hospital, she said, would maintain obstetric/gynecological care, emergency room and rescue squad/paramedic services, adult and pediatric acute care, other health services and indigent care.

Both hospital and Clinic officials said there are no plans to reduce the hospital's staff of about 1,600 part-time and full-time workers. It is the city's largest employer. The Clinic has agreed to invest $10 million in the hospital to make it more competitive with other health care centers.

"My goal is to protect the jobs, to protect the outstanding health care, the indigent care and communiity services," Cain said.

The hospital provides more than $7 million a year in indigent care and community health services.

The city, which bought the hospital for $1 in 1931, would continue to own the property and would receive an annual $1 million lease payment. Since leasing the property to the nonprofit Lakewood Hospital Association a decade ago, the city has been paid $200 per year for the lease.

Under the proposed agreement, lease payments would increase by $25,000 every three years. The money would be used to provide health and safety services, the mayor said.

The makeup of the board of trustees would change. Three of 23 seats would go to the Clinic, which also would ratify 16 of the other appointments. Three other seats are municipal officials, and one is a hospital medical staff representative.

The Clinic last year merged with Marymount Hospital and also has been engaged in merger discussions with the Fairview Health System.

Dr. John D. Clough, chairman of the Clinic's division of health affairs, said the merger with Lakewood Hospital would help the Clinic have a wider "geographic spread" and a "broad community involvement in primary care."

Details of the proposed merger are contained in a proposed amended lease for 30 years between the city and the hospital association. The proposal will go before the council Monday night and is expected to be referred to a committee of the whole for further discussion.

Cain said that the 400-bed hospital is a major economic anchor in downtown Lakewood and has helped in "generously supporting and providing services to our seniors, young families and the medically indigent. Assuring its continued viability is consistent with protecting the best interests of our community."

In a statement, William R. Gorton, chairman of Lakewood Hosptial's board of trustees said: "Our relationship with such a world-renowned institution will help assure that high-quality health services remain available to area residents."

Negotiations with the Clinic began about six months ago. The hospital had also been approached by other health care providers who have been seeking mergers, including the Nashville, Tenn.-based Columbia /HCA Healthcare Corp., the nation's largest hospital chain.

Lakewood was the last municipal hospital to go private in Ohio in 1987. It opened in 1907 as the first Cleveland suburban hospital in a 15-bed, double-frame house at Detroit and Belle avenues. A modern hospital was constructed there in 1917 with later additions and renovations.

Rhonda loje wrote:Plain Dealer April 19, 2000: it quotes that 36,000 patients used the emergency room before the expansion.

http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/o ... 2F6DF22455

According to US News, last year Lakewood Hospital had over 35,000 ER visits.

http://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals ... al-6411490

That's even after the Clinic did everything in its power to degrade the ER and hospital services. The numbers show a clear demonstration of need. BUT

It doesn't matter. One reason your information doesn't matter is because the life or death of Lakewood Hospital has nothing to do with need or usage or profitability. The other reason it doesn't matter is that Mayor Summers and the Council are on board with the decision. Right now their main focus is on providing cover for the Clinic. The Clinic is in clear violation of its lease and liable for at least a $1 billion in damages. As long as they can maintain the illusion of a hospital they will escape liability.

The mission of Lakewood City government is to provide the illusion of a hospital to protect the Clinic.

A few weeks ago the PD did a nice article about the Beck Center in which they stated that the Beck was worth over $10 million in revenue to Lakewood businesses. How much is a hospital worth? (at one time there was a serious effort to close down the Beck and move it to Crocker Park but action by Mayor George and others put a stop to it. If this crowd was in power back then the Beck would be long gone).

It never occurred to me that Lakewood government, the Hospital Foundation and the Board of Trustees were in full agreement with the degradation of community health care in Lakewood.

ARTICLE XV.
LAKEWOOD HOSPITAL

SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT; BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
Council may by ordinance establish a municipal hospital and for such purpose may, in accordance with general law, issue and sell bonds in such amounts as may be necessary for the procuring of the necessary real estate and the erection, furnishing, equipping and maintaining said hospital or for the purpose and acquisition of any existing hospital and its furnishings and equipment . Any such hospital shall be operated, controlled and managed by a Board of Trustees consisting of eighteen members, including the Mayor, who shall serve as President of the Board, the Commissioner of Health, and the member of Council who serves as Chairperson of Council's Hospital Committee. The additional fifteen Trustees shall be appointed by the Mayor with the approval of Council. No fewer than eight of such additional Trustees shall be resident electors of the City. Members of the Board of Trustees shall receive no compensation for their services as members of the Board.

SECTION 2. TERM OF BOARD MEMBERS.
The term of office of the appointed members of the Board shall be five years. Three members shall be appointed each year for a full term of five years. A majority of the acting members of the Board shall constitute a quorum. The Mayor shall file any vacancies on the Board with the approval of Council.

SECTION 3. DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE BOARD.
(A) The Board of Trustees shall have control and management of such hospital and shall establish such rules for its government and the admission of persons to its privileges as it deems expedient, and shall annually appoint the professional staff as determined by approved hospital administration. The Board shall also employ an administrator, department heads, and such assistants, nurses, physicians and surgeons and such other employees as said Board deems necessary, and fix their compensation, which compensation shall, however, be subject to the approval of Council.
(B) The Board shall have control over all improvements to, work for, or repairs to said hospital as well as the purchase of all necessary supplies, material or equipment for said hospital. All work done for the repair or improvement of said hospital shall be made either by direct employment of labor and the necessary supplies and materials or by contract . The Board shall by resolution determine by which method any improvement shall be made. All such contracts shall be executed in the name of the City by the Hospital Administrator only after approval by the Board.
(C) All such contracts entailing expenditures by the City in excess of a certain dollar amount shall be awarded to the lowest and best bidder after approval by the Board and after competitive bidding, unless competitive bidding is determined by Council not to be required. Council may specify such certain dollar amount, prescribe the procedures for competitive bidding, and determine the circumstances, if any, under which competitive bidding shall not be required.
(D) Until Council takes those actions required by Division (C) of this Section, the general law shall govern with respect to the dollar amounts in excess of which competitive bidding shall be required; the procedures for competitive bidding; and the circumstances under which competitive bidding shall not be required. All contracts subject to competitive bidding under this Division shall be awarded to the lowest and best bidder after approval by the Board.

SECTION 4. LEASE ALTERNATIVE.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Charter, including, without limitation, those of this Article, Council, by ordinance duly passed by the affirmative vote of at least five (5) of its members, may lease, pursuant to a lease approved by the Board of Trustees, real and personal property and transfer the non-capital assets of the municipal hospital established pursuant to Section 1 of this Article, all as identified in such ordinance, to a nonsectarian Ohio nonprofit corporation organized for charitable purposes. Such power to lease may be exercised by Council from time to time, provided that the term of each such lease shall not exceed thirty (30) years, with the right in the lessee to renew for a like period of years. Each lease entered into pursuant to this Section shall place the control, operation and management of the hospital in the lessee and shall include such terms and provisions as Council reasonably believes necessary to provide for the health and welfare of the residents of the City, the protection of the employees of the hospital and may require the lessee under such lease to include in its governing body, representatives of the City. Control, operation and management of such hospital during any period it is not under lease shall be provided pursuant to Sections 1 through 3 of this Article. During the terms of any lease pursuant to this Section, no provision of this Charter shall be applicable to the lessee.

Well what an afternoon!

Amazing what you can find out if you spend a couple days looking!

I have to thank Jay for pointing me in the right direction!

Here is the Lease for the hospital before changes. It is changed more often than one would think. The same is true for all the pieces of this puzzle as they morp and slide in and out of various other documents.

http://media.lakewoodobserver.com/media/docs_1420429288.pdf

This is some pretty crazy stuff, and have found nothing to change my posts.

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Jim O'Bryan wrote:This is some pretty crazy stuff, and have found nothing to change my posts.

The Mayor told the Plain Dealer the Hospital is not closing. The Plain Dealer is reporting "changes" at Lakewood Hospital.

First you have 400 beds.
Then 200
Then 100
Then 50

First you have 250 doctors
Then 150
Then 75
and now 15

First you have 1,600 employees
then 1200
then 700
then 300
then 100

At the end of the game you don't have a hospital. BUT the City provides cover for the Clinic so the Clinic can avoid its financial liability for violation of its lease.

.

Bill Call wrote:

Jim O'Bryan wrote:This is some pretty crazy stuff, and have found nothing to change my posts.

The Mayor told the Plain Dealer the Hospital is not closing. The Plain Dealer is reporting "changes" at Lakewood Hospital.

First you have 400 beds.
Then 200
Then 100
Then 50

First you have 250 doctors
Then 150
Then 75
and now 15

First you have 1,600 employees
then 1200
then 700
then 300
then 100

At the end of the game you don't have a hospital. BUT the City provides cover for the Clinic so the Clinic can avoid its financial liability for violation of its lease.

Bill

This is much more complicated than this. I wish it wasn't, and I doubt the the City of
Lakewood is "providing cover so that the Clinic can avoid " anything.

You have to remember over the decades the Lakewood Hospital went from all city
employees to all Clinic employees, and this was done in stages.

It is the Lakewood Hospital Association that sets the tone, and approves the cuts, not
the Clinic. As stated by Kevin Butler, and I believe this will be the key to all of this, to
paraphrase, "The Cleveland Clinic hates reopening contracts to negotiations." Since the
1996 110 page contract, to my knowledge The Cleveland Clinic has not reopened the
contract, but the City of Lakewood has repeatedly.

FWIW


.

Bringing more facts two the table, after days of looking, we have obtained a copy of the
current Lakewood Hospital Board members. There is a vacancy from the 23 person board.

Here is the part of the City Charter dealing with it:

SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT; BOARD OF TRUSTEES.
Council may by ordinance establish a municipal hospital and for such purpose may, in accordance with general law, issue and sell bonds in such amounts as may be necessary for the procuring of the necessary real estate and the erection, furnishing, equipping and maintaining said hospital or for the purpose and acquisition of any existing hospital and its furnishings and equipment . Any such hospital shall be operated, controlled and managed by a Board of Trustees consisting of eighteen members, including the Mayor, who shall serve as President of the Board, the Commissioner of Health, and the member of Council who serves as Chairperson of Council's Hospital Committee. The additional fifteen Trustees shall be appointed by the Mayor with the approval of Council. No fewer than eight of such additional Trustees shall be resident electors of the City. Members of the Board of Trustees shall receive no compensation for their services as members of the Board.

Here is the current Board

LH BOARD 2014

Ex-Officio Trustees – 4 (With Voting Privileges; appointed by virtue of Office)
Michael Summers, Mayor of Lakewood
Mary Louise Madigan, President of City Council,
Tom Bullock, Councilman-At-Large
James Bekeny, MD., Immed Past Pres. Medical Staff, Residence ?

General Trustees – 9 (Nominated by Governance Committee, appointed by Board; ratified by the Member)
Thomas J. Coury, Westlake
John T. O’Neill, Avon Lake
Rev. Jon M. Fancher, D.Min., Rocky River
Thomas J. Gable, Rocky River
William R. Gorton, Westlake
Kenneth Haber, Lakewood (LH Foundation President)
Dennis J. Roche, Lakewood
Mousab Tabba, M. D., Westlake

Community Trustees – 3 (Nominated by Council; appointed by the Board; ratified by the Member
Joseph P. Gibbons, Lakewood
Gray R. Pritts, Brooklyn
M. Ellen Brzytwa, RN, MSN, MPH, Lakewood

Special Trustees – 4 (2 – nominated by Council, 2 – by Mayor; appointed by the Board; ratified by the Member
Curtis M. Brosky, Lakewood
John Litten, Lakewood
Kathleen T. McGorry, Ph.D., Lakewood
Rebecca Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR, FAAN, Lakewood

Member Trustees – 3 (Elected by the Member)
Carl A. Culley, Jr., M.D., Lakewood
Richard B. Freeman, MD, Westlake
David L. Bronson, Residence not listed, but not Lakewood

These are the people handling the future of Lakewood's Health Care, a lot of good people on this list.

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"Any such hospital shall be operated, controlled and managed by a Board of Trustees consisting of eighteen members...."

So where does the Clinic fit in? If it's just following orders who issues the orders?