The Observation Deck

I suppose by now you have had time to digest the news that if Lakewood Hospital is saved the City assumes responsibility for the health outcomes off all the patients in its service area.

I’m going to guess that you were told that that means Lakewood Hospital is economically unviable. We are left to wonder why that is not true of the new Hospitals in Avon, Twinsburg and Mentor.

I'm sure you are being told to act now. I think you should defer any action until after the next election. Let the people decide.

Before you make a decision please consider this:

The proposed family health center will simply replace the two existing facilities in Lakewood. The buildings on Madison and Detroit will be closed and relocated to the new site. There will be no increase in healthcare choices in Lakewood.

The proposed New Foundation will, according to the Mayor, provide funding for parks, recreation, support for the arts, support for North Coast Health and more. According to the representative of LHF and Councilman Sean Juris the new foundation will serve Lakewood and “surrounding areas”. If past history is any guide in short order the second foundation will be funding Gordon Square and the health care needs of Avon Lake.

In my humble opinion we should decline the Clinics offer to build a health center in Lakewood on the current hospital site. We will have lost nothing.

The City should insist that any money left from the assets of the Hospital and the Foundation be transferred to a separate enterprise fund controlled by the City. Any use of those funds will then be controlled by Council and open to public review.

I don't think you can trust assurances that the board in control of the Second Foundation can "be controlled".

Bill Call wrote:I don't think you can trust assurances that the board in control of the Second Foundation can "be controlled".

If Summers/LHA/CCF have their way in the taxpayer lawsuit it will prove that we as citizens have "no control" over LHA at all--even when it comes to something as important as our healthcare.

The LHA could bail themselves out of their hole as failures and mismanagers if they'd start all over and look at a Metro partnership.

But I'm not sure if they've burned too many bridges at this point.

Bridget Conant wrote:But I'm not sure if they've burned too many bridges at this point.

The gist of the "Team Summers" message is this:

We have already burned the other bridges, so you must now trust us and take this deal NOW!

I'm sure Metro figured out a while ago that they wasted their time writing a comprehensive proposal for Mayor Summers after his (phony) "call for proposals" and are not about to engage with these fools anymore. It's a tragedy, and we may all lose due to this administration's wanton disregard for anyone other than the CCF.

cameron karslake wrote:I'm sure Metro figured out a while ago that they wasted their time writing a comprehensive proposal for Mayor Summers after his (phony) "call for proposals" and are not about to engage with these fools anymore. It's a tragedy, and we may all lose due to this administration's wanton disregard for anyone other than the CCF.

Someone didn't tell Metro that the proposal to invest $100 million in Lakewood Hospital was a waste of money. The Huron report did point out that the transfer of Lakewood Hospitals business to Avon had a serious affect on Lakewood Hospitals business.

In the event that the Hospital closes I don't see any need to let the Clinic build is minute clinic on some of the most valuable real estate in Lakewood. When the Hospital closes the City takes possession of the remaining financial assets of the Hospital ($50+ million) and the assets of the Foundation (30+ million).

There will be plenty of money left over after demolition costs. At that point the City will have $80 million, 6+ acres and a building in Westlake. There is no need to transfer anything to the Second Foundation.

The Clinic will have its buildings on Madison and Detroit.

The one absolute is that Mayor Summers and any current or past member of the LHA or LHF, or the Cleveland Clinic should have NOTHING to do with the decision making process going forward.

I'm just speaking for myself.