Save Lakewood Hospital...A Last Message From Dad?
Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2015 12:42 pm
Fellow Lakewoodites all:
Many of you knew my dear late father, Robert Rice, a retired Lakewood Schools educator, Lakewood Schools Staff Hall of Fame member, and an active community volunteer for both students and seniors.
On January 14th, the day before that "letter of intent" concerning Lakewood Hospital's future came out, Dad suddenly collapsed on the floor of his bedroom here in Lakewood. For many years, Dad and my family received excellent care from Lakewood Hospital, and indeed, even on that day, Lakewood paramedics were quickly on the scene; although for my 94 year-old Dad, his time was sadly passing.
Dad and I have both strongly supported Lakewood's public institutions. We played music for the Library's re-dedication when it re-opened. We were active with our new schools. We've been active with the Observer Project. We've played our music at the hospital too, and we've often supported numerous civic and cultural activities, whenever we could do so.
We've also tried to support City Hall as well, and I feel that we've generally had a very positive relationship with several mayors, including Mayor Summers. Lakewood Hospital's concerns did not begin with his administration, but now that the ball is in his court, we need to help him to see the right way to approach this issue, and I believe that we also need to let the Cleveland Clinic know how strongly we feel about keeping as much of a real hospital as possible in our city; whether they run it, (hopefully at least until their contract expires), or another hospital organization takes it over someday.
Dad and I had both looked at this developing hospital situation over the years from a fairly personal perspective, since we've both needed more and more hospital services as the years have gone by. For those reasons alone, we both concluded that, for whatever reason, reducing more services at Lakewood Hospital was a very questionable idea. We simply have too big of a city here to go without having at least a basic hospital covering a wide range of services.
Unlike others on this 'Deck who may know, neither Dad nor I could figure out who or what exactly was to blame for Lakewood Hospital's so-called "problems"? We felt that they had been increasing for years. Whatever the reasons were for what we felt was going on, we believed that the loss of more Lakewood Hospital services would be a severe blow to this community, potentially endangering everyone from neighborhood children to needful senior citizens; not to mention any accident victims who might unfortunately run into mishap in our highly populated community.
One thing about health care: It is a very democratic issue; affecting all of us at one point or another. Anyone, who for whatever reason, may previously have wanted to support getting rid of Lakewood Hospital, needs to put their selves in my Dad's place on January 14th, lying on the floor of THEIR bedroom. In Dad's place, sadly, it was his time to go, but when it comes YOUR turn to taste carpet, your own survival may well depend on the medical resources that you will have close by to assist your immediate needs.
Rich or poor, sudden illness or injury can come to us all. Let's please have some common interest/common sense here.
Getting rid of Lakewood Hospital, for ANY reason, would appear to be just about the worst idea that anyone's ever come up with for our city.
I'm sure that was Dad's opinion, and it is my own, as well.
Let's please stop that idea in its tracks. Right now.
Save Lakewood Hospital.
Back to the banjo...
Many of you knew my dear late father, Robert Rice, a retired Lakewood Schools educator, Lakewood Schools Staff Hall of Fame member, and an active community volunteer for both students and seniors.
On January 14th, the day before that "letter of intent" concerning Lakewood Hospital's future came out, Dad suddenly collapsed on the floor of his bedroom here in Lakewood. For many years, Dad and my family received excellent care from Lakewood Hospital, and indeed, even on that day, Lakewood paramedics were quickly on the scene; although for my 94 year-old Dad, his time was sadly passing.
Dad and I have both strongly supported Lakewood's public institutions. We played music for the Library's re-dedication when it re-opened. We were active with our new schools. We've been active with the Observer Project. We've played our music at the hospital too, and we've often supported numerous civic and cultural activities, whenever we could do so.
We've also tried to support City Hall as well, and I feel that we've generally had a very positive relationship with several mayors, including Mayor Summers. Lakewood Hospital's concerns did not begin with his administration, but now that the ball is in his court, we need to help him to see the right way to approach this issue, and I believe that we also need to let the Cleveland Clinic know how strongly we feel about keeping as much of a real hospital as possible in our city; whether they run it, (hopefully at least until their contract expires), or another hospital organization takes it over someday.
Dad and I had both looked at this developing hospital situation over the years from a fairly personal perspective, since we've both needed more and more hospital services as the years have gone by. For those reasons alone, we both concluded that, for whatever reason, reducing more services at Lakewood Hospital was a very questionable idea. We simply have too big of a city here to go without having at least a basic hospital covering a wide range of services.
Unlike others on this 'Deck who may know, neither Dad nor I could figure out who or what exactly was to blame for Lakewood Hospital's so-called "problems"? We felt that they had been increasing for years. Whatever the reasons were for what we felt was going on, we believed that the loss of more Lakewood Hospital services would be a severe blow to this community, potentially endangering everyone from neighborhood children to needful senior citizens; not to mention any accident victims who might unfortunately run into mishap in our highly populated community.
One thing about health care: It is a very democratic issue; affecting all of us at one point or another. Anyone, who for whatever reason, may previously have wanted to support getting rid of Lakewood Hospital, needs to put their selves in my Dad's place on January 14th, lying on the floor of THEIR bedroom. In Dad's place, sadly, it was his time to go, but when it comes YOUR turn to taste carpet, your own survival may well depend on the medical resources that you will have close by to assist your immediate needs.
Rich or poor, sudden illness or injury can come to us all. Let's please have some common interest/common sense here.
Getting rid of Lakewood Hospital, for ANY reason, would appear to be just about the worst idea that anyone's ever come up with for our city.
I'm sure that was Dad's opinion, and it is my own, as well.
Let's please stop that idea in its tracks. Right now.
Save Lakewood Hospital.
Back to the banjo...