The Observation Deck

I think even the Mayor and Build Lakewood have given up on the campaign to convince people that the proposed "Family Health Center" is something great. By now they must realize that it is just another medical office building. And not a very good one at that.

What was promised as a state of the art Family Health Center will simply replace the Clinics two buildings on Madison and Detroit and 117th. I suspect the offices of North Coast Health will be moved their as well.

This fits in well with the plans to merge the $33 million in Lakewood Hospital Foundation money into a new "wellness" foundation. The New Foundation will serve the needs of people throughout Northeast Ohio. I suspect that the primary purpose of the new Foundation will be to finance the health needs of the uninsured.

Lakewood Hospital provided about $6 million per year in charity care. The Clinic "Sting of Pearls" strategy envisions moving many of its operations out of Cuyahoga County and leaving the charity care behind.

The New Foundation is the Clinics way of giving the people of Lakewood the bill.

Will anyone stand up for Lakewood?

Bill Call wrote:I think even the Mayor and Build Lakewood have given up on the campaign to convince people that the proposed "Family Health Center" is something great. By now they must realize that it is just another medical office building. And not a very good one at that.

I predict that they will continue to pretend that it's a wonderful thing.
They love that "$34 million in investment" line.

The Clinic will use its massive PR and media influence to peddle a happy tale.
The Mayor, Bullock, and Madigan are in too deep to change their story now.
I am curious to see how many others choose to go down with them.

Bill Call wrote: I suspect that the primary purpose of the new Foundation will be to finance the health needs of the uninsured.

Will anyone stand up for Lakewood?

Bill,

The intent of the new foundation is to steal from the poor and give to the rich---they whole point of what the Mayor is attempting to do is to screw what he says are "those people" who get their care fro the hospital for "free". He never seriously considered Metro because he didn't want "those people" in Lakewood--if the 22 other trustees and CCF administrators tell the truth in their depositions they will verify that Summers said this multiple times--I have been told this from multiple insiders. He will work to keep the new foundation from helping "those people"--that's the plan.

You are standing up for Lakewood and I am with you and the thousands of others.

This has been stopped at the political level--we have won several initial battles.

The war to stop CCF from raping us and installing new leaders wages on.

Carry on my friend.

The intent of the new foundation is to steal from the poor and give to the rich---they whole point of what the Mayor is attempting to do is to screw what he says are "those people" who get their care fro the hospital for "free". He never seriously considered Metro because he didn't want "those people" in Lakewood--if the 22 other trustees and CCF administrators tell the truth in their depositions they will verify that Summers said this multiple times--I have been told this from multiple insiders. He will work to keep the new foundation from helping "those people"--that's the plan.

- Brian Essi

Brian. I'll recount an exchange I had with Mr. Summers very early on in the Drug Mart process. I ran into him on Grace and voiced my concern that the fully occupied apartment building that provided affordable housing for our neighbors was going to be torn down to accommodate Drug Mart's interests. He replied "the truth is we have plenty of that kind of housing in Lakewood". The consensus on Grace at the time was that he was utterly indifferent to the needs of people with less means. Are we looking at a pattern of a mayor too willing to push out those he deems undesirable?

Mark,

When it comes to getting involved in local politics, this is pretty much my "first rodeo" other than voting. I had heard about our City and Summers condemning folks' homes as "blighted" to take them for businesses etc., but I never got off my couch to inquire further.

When I first got involved in the hospital debate, Summers' office was one of my first stops.
In my April 8, 2015 meeting with him (that lasted 2 1/2 hours) I asked about how we as a City would replace the $7.4 million of annual charity shown on the LHA 2013 audited financial statement (the 2014 statement was not yet published).

Summers' response was that he was only worried about Lakewood residents and not "those people who come from across 117th for their primary care." I was very disappointed in that type of short-minded thinking (and many other comments he made), but I still felt that I could work with Summers and convince him of a better way. He later rebuffed my help and you can see where that has gone between the two of us.

It was over a month later that trustees reported his prejudiced comments to me and their beliefs as to why Summers rejected Metro. And make no mistake about it, Summers was clearly leading LHA on this whole matter---this is his deal, he owns it---that's how well the Clinic set him up and is using him. I did not believe and did not want to believe that truth---I actually fought Jim O'Bryan on that claim when we first met. But the facts are the facts. The Clinic is using a willing mayor to divide our City--they essentially bribed him with the new foundation and a piece of land for his clan's "economic development" " DREAM BIG" on a better future nonsense. He's been played.

And for me, that is the saddest part about this whole debacle, I sought to work with and help our mayor overcome his mistake, shortcomings and misguided beliefs. He has chosen to destroy whatever legacy he may have had due to stubbornness, pride, ego etc. Last week, I reached out to John Brzytwa, the mayor's neighbor lawyer and friend, to set up a meeting with Summers. Brzytwa said they are not interested and hung up.

If we had a mayor who was open minded and truly understood the hospital and had the courage to stand up for ALL Lakewoodites, did not fear the Clinic and could lead LHA FOR LAKEWOOD and not for special interests, this could be solved in a matter of weeks.

So the "pattern" you refer to it set in stone and the mayor will cling to it to the bottom of the lake.

Brian Essi wrote:"those people who come from across 117th for their primary care."

Once upon a time, my Mom was one of "those people from across 117th".
She had a doctor in downtown Lakewood when we lived in the city.
He was located there because of the Hospital.

Our family moved to Lakewood in 1983 when I was 15 years old....which presumably means she is no longer one of "those people".

"Team Summers" seems to forget that as folks who live in Cleveland move up the economic ladder, they aspire to come to a place like Lakewood. They don't come to tear the city down...they come to contribute.

Mom spent many years volunteering at the Office of Aging, St. Mark Church, St. Mark School, and for CCLAS.

Here is a photo of her with our dog Charlie, who she brought home from the Lakewood Animal Shelter in 2006.
This picture was taken right after Charlie had some surgery, so he's a bit groggy.