The Observation Deck

The Cleveland Clinic is nearing its end game for Lakewood Hospital. Doctors and other professionals have been reasigned to other Clinic facilities, the operating rooms and other areas have been neglected to the point that doctors don't want to use them and the Hospital is losing money. They inherited a legacy and looted it.

The Clinic has done a great deal of damage to Lakewood Hospital and the City of Lakewood. Is it time to sue for damages? One billion dollars sounds about right.

Does it strike you that Lakewood is fighting a retreating action?

Whether it's RTA, Mc Donalds, traffic lights; or now, our hospital; frankly, it all looks like a steady decline. We don't seem to have enough clout to do much of anything.

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David Brainard wrote:Does it strike you that Lakewood is fighting a retreating action?

Whether it's RTA, Mc Donalds, traffic lights; or now, our hospital; frankly, it all looks like a steady decline. We don't seem to have enough clout to do much of anything.

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A few years ago the Beck Center was intent on leaving Lakewood. They were deliberately degrading their programing and infrastructure to create the "need" to move to Westlake. Some political pressure and some pressure from foundations and donors put a stop to that plan. The Beck recommitted to Lakewood and their mission. They just had a record year.

Personally, I think the Clinic is engaged in the same type of duplicity here in Lakewood. The difference is that there is no concerted effort to stop it. There seems to be a sense of resignation. Of course the Clinic has clout where the Beck did not.

I don't really blame the Mayor or Council. Overall it's a very good group of very competent people. On the other hand they seem to want to avoid a public fight with either the Clinic, Mental Health Services, Catholic Charities, RTA, Tri-C, the government unions or other institutions that do so much damage to the City. Maybe they are right. I'm not burdened by responsibility so it's easy to for me to wave the bloody shirt.

On the other hand, maybe we need a public fight. Our regional institutions are behaving like one really big wrecking ball. Why not go down fighting?

Bill Call wrote:I don't really blame the Mayor or Council. Overall it's a very good group of very competent people. On the other hand they seem to want to avoid a public fight with either the Clinic, Mental Health Services, Catholic Charities, RTA, Tri-C, the government unions or other institutions that do so much damage to the City. Maybe they are right. I'm not burdened by responsibility so it's easy to for me to wave the bloody shirt.

On the other hand, maybe we need a public fight. Our regional institutions are behaving like one really big wrecking ball. Why not go down fighting?

Bill

We need the fight with the groups mentioned, otherwise, "bullies" will continue their game.

But when we walk into these fights, we should do so from a strong hand. With RTA, there
was ZERO reason to stop Community Shuttle Services, it was making money in Lakewood.
We got axed, because they were axing those style buses for the larger double buses.
Lakewood should have moved swiftly to make double buses illegal. This would have made
it much harder for RTA to operate. Now we would have negotiated from a strong point.

With the Hospital it would seem that Ed FitzGerald help move them along with his hard line
stance, on money owed. While it was good and needed. One could ask if Lakewood kept up
our end of the deal. The Clinic moved here, because we are one of the largest cities in the
region, and had a great base for them to draw from. The only place I have actually seen
the Clinic move away from is place like East Cleveland with Huron Road Hospital, where
they finally closed down due to lack of insured users. While Hospitals are non-profit, they
are not charities. Could it be that Lakewood has not retained the correct client base for,
The Clinic? Georgetown? etc.? How do you deal with this from strength?

The current trend in Lakewood Politics is shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, do not let people know
we disagree. Send out one solid message of unity, peace, love, kumbaya! This came out of
the years where The School Board could not get a levy passed. Some thought it was
because of mixed messages and dissension coming from the board. Ironically the real reason
was that the School Board had not educated the voter to the need. Still this along with the
no vote on Eminent Domain, and the WestEnd Debacle(not my term), has taught them to
not trust residents, or voters. When in fact once again the lesson should have been
openness honesty and good planning. While I understand their fears, they completely have
missed out on the very thing that makes Lakewood strong.

Will the new regime run the city, or react to issues and work on managing decline. If they
come out with more cuts, and no way to increase revenue, we will have our answers.

.

Jim O'Bryan wrote: The only place I have actually seen
the Clinic move away from is place like East Cleveland with Huron Road Hospital, where
they finally closed down due to lack of insured users. While Hospitals are non-profit, they
are not charities. Could it be that Lakewood has not retained the correct client base for,
The Clinic? Georgetown? etc.? How do you deal with this from strength?

I just don't see that Lakewood Hospital is even trying to compete. Some companies make money doing blood tests, MRI's, CAT scans etc. Lakewood Hospital seems to have surrendered without a fight.

Of course the Clinic controls the hospital. Why is it that Clinic doctors are told not to use the hospital for tests? Why is it that it's operating rooms are out of date?

Jim O'Bryan wrote:
..........the years where The School Board could not get a levy passed. Some thought it was
because of mixed messages and dissension coming from the board. Ironically the real reason
was that the School Board had not educated the voter to the need. Still this along with the

Lakewood Schools need a levy because the School Board can't say no. Health insurance premiums will be increasing by 100% over the next 5 years, salaries are set to increase 10%, the retirement plan is underfunded , property values are declining and the board thinks another tax increase is the answer.

When Berdine retires he will be all set to receive $6 million in retirement benefits after haivng contributed next to nothing into the plan. If you think that makes sense you are part of the problem.

After some thought, I have to wonder how much more damage Joe Calabrese and his private plaything, the RTA, can do to Lakewood?

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David Brainard wrote:After some thought, I have to wonder how much more damage Joe Calabrese and his private plaything, the RTA, can do to Lakewood?

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Damage is the right word.

A big chuck of the money that was used to build the new Avon I-90 exit came from Cuyahoga County taxpayers. About 40% of the riders of RTA's Westlake Park and Ride are residents of Lorain County, Tri-C has built a new campus in Brunswick (Medina County) and in an industrial park of the borders of Lorain County.

If you can enjoy all the benefits of Cuyahoga County services and live in Lorain County and save thousands in taxes why live in Cuyahoga County?

It would be nice if our Cuyahoga County taxpayer funded institutions would actually serve the residents of Cuyahoga County but I've pretty much given up.