The Observation Deck

The citizens lawsuit against the Clinic has uncovered documents regarding the "decanting" of Lakewood Hospital. The Final Decision was made in 2012. Discussions were probably going on for some time before the Final Decision was made.

Here was the plan according to the documents provided by the Clinic:

Under the decanting plan,
•30-45 beds from Lakewood Hospital’s nursing unit will be moved to Fairview Hospital;
•16 intensive care unit beds at Lakewood Hospital will be moved to Fairview Hospital;
•Fairview Hospital will absorb 700-800 births per year from Lakewood Hospital;
•7,000-8,000 Lakewood Hospital inpatient emergency department visits will be moved to Fairview Hospital;
•1,315-1,773 inpatient surgeries per year will be moved from Lakewood Hospital to Fairview Hospital;
•Lakewood Hospital physicians will be moved to Fairview Hospital and other CCF wholly-owned hospitals;
•12 geropsych beds will be moved from Lakewood Hospital to Lutheran Hospital;
•Lakewood Hospital’s vascular laboratory will be moved to Fairview Hospital;
•some Lakewood Hospital inpatient beds will be moved to Fairview Hospital;
•and inpatient surgery and the catheterization laboratory at Lakewood Hospital will be moved to Fairview Hospital. (Ex. 1).

Way back in 1996 did the Clinic purchase Lakewood Hospital and its entire business or was it simply hired to run the Hospital?

What right did the Clinic have to remove those business lines?

Why was the decision made in secret?

Who in the administration was aware of the plan?

Who on the board was aware of the plan?

If the plan was made nearly 4 years ago shouldn't the City have been better prepared today?

Way back in 2012 or so I applied for a position on the Hospital Board. I was given of frosty reception and then shown the door.

These are the kind of questions I would have been asking if I were on the Hospital Board. Of course, most Board members rarely attended any meetings so they had no chance to ask questions.

The 2012 date also corresponds with the Clinics decision to increase administrative fees by 68%.

Why would they do that?

Let's have a look at some of the board members of LHA & LHF:

LHF:

Ken Haber (Key to the City recipient, civil service commission member)
Charles Geiger (former Lakewood Board of Education member)
Mary Anne Crampton (former LakewoodAlive employee)
James P. Foran (Active Living Task Force Chairman)

LHA:

Ellen Brzytwa
Ken Haber
Curt Brosky (Director of The Westerly, Key to the City recipient)
Tom Bullock (At-Large Councilman)
Mary Louise Madigan (Council President)
Joseph P. Gibbons (contributed to mayor's campaign and those of some council members)
Gary Pritts (past member of Lakewood Hospital Association Governing Board)
Michael P. Summers
John Litten (former Citizens Advisory Committee member and former Keep Lakewood Beautiful member)

I found out recently from a friend that Litten runs the St. Vincent DePaul Society for the Diocese of Cleveland. This is an organization that helps people in need. Litten voted to close Lakewood Hospital. In my opinion, how can you appear to help people for a living and then vote to close a hospital in your community that serves many people in need? He is running for Ward 3 Council and from what I have been told by several people, he is not identifying himself as being on the LHA or having voted to close the hospital. As a Christian who is employed by the Catholic Diocese, I believe this is a sin. Time for confession.

Sorry Bill. I guess you weren't in the mayor and CCF's clique. Since meeting you, I find you to be a very polite, likeable, and intelligent person. I guess you are just too honest for this group.