The Observation Deck

We had been hearing many reports of patients at Lakewood Hospital chatting with their caregiver/nurse/technician about the Mayor's and Clinic's desired closure of Lakewood Hospital - when a supervisor would approach and tell the patient, "Employees are not allowed to discuss that."

Yes, these reports are true.

One person even received an official letter from Cleveland Clinic's Law Department, directing them to "not have any further contact with any Cleveland Clinic Foundation employees." (Is this a threat??)

The 1100 employees at Lakewood Hospital are in fear of their jobs. Rightly so, because if the Hospital closes, there will only be 100 or so jobs - low grade, mostly - at the Wellness Center. Several nurses, a couple docs, some residents (who are "temporary"), a lot of "clerks".

On April 30, under intense and direct questioning by Councilperson Cindy Marx, Dr. Brian Donley specifically and repeatedly refused to give any "guarantee" that the displaced employees would obtain a job -- any job -- within the Clinic system. Let alone, a job anywhere near their current pay grade, or with retaining their seniority.

The new jobs are opening up in Avon, Twinsburg, Brunswick. Who in Lakewood wants to commute to any of those locations, rather than stay in Lakewood and work within a few miles of home?

This action by the Clinic in relation to employee caregivers and patients may violate the legal rights of both the employee and the patient. At the LHA trustee meeting held on May 13, 2015, the Clinic administrators and LHA trustees made a big deal about "misinformation" in the public causing damage to the hospital. It would seem that by systematically trying to quash any dialogue between patients and caregivers in the course of that highly fiduciary relationship, that LHA and the Clinic are causing intention damage to the hospital. In other words the Clinic and LHA don't want a dialogue with those they are obligated to sere. Note from page 31 of the just released MetroHealth proposal how different things would be with Metro in charge: They wanted the Community Advisory Board "reinvigorated by recruiting new members from among residents and businesses of the City...to provide a platform for the Hospital to listen and learn about community concerns ad ideas" If how the Clinic is treating patients now is any indication of how Mayor Summers' transformation of healthcare in Lakewood will look like in the future, this is the saddest moment in the history of Lakewood's healthcare.

This whole affair makes me sick!

CCF, you can't hide
we can see your greedy side!

Indeed.

Cameron,

Now read my posts on the Save Lakewood Hospital - your life depends on it. Comments back and forth. Clinic charges Lakewood Admin. expense that is 20% of Lakewood's income. But Clinic's own Admin. expense is only 2.8% of Clinic's consolidated income.

Greedy, indeed!

This is how Clinic is pulling $24 million out of Lakewood's bank account every year. In 7 years, over $146 million.

Did Lakewood pay for Avon?

Read that post and comments, too.