The Observation Deck

It appears that LHA may be conducting a push poll.

Q. What is a push poll?

A. "A push poll a seemingly unbiased survey that is actually conducted by supporters of a particular candidate that intends to disseminate negative or misleading information about an opponent. Its intent is primarily to distribute propaganda rather than to understand the views and opinions of the public." http://politicaldictionary.com/words/push-poll/

The following are just some of the questions reportedly being asked in the push poll:

What is your first name?

Where do you get news?

Do you like the quality of life in Lakewood?

Do you live east or west of Warren?

Do you live north or south of Detroit?

The hospital is losing $1 million/month. Should it close?

If CCF doesn't stay, the hospital would end up an empty building - should it close?

CCF is promising all Lakewood hospital employees jobs - should it stay open or close?

Fairview Hospital is 3 miles away - should it stay open or close?

Do you believe CCF deliberately drained services from Lakewood Hospital?

Needless to say, this is a very misleading poll.

There have been rumors of numerous push polls being conducted by Team Summers and Build Lakewood.

If you receive a push poll, I would suggest that you let the callers know that you are aware that they are conducting a push poll, ask who is conducting the push poll, and refuse to answer the same.

The LHA push poll is believed to be conducted by the TRIAD Research Group.

Bob Dykes is the Principal & CEO of the TRIAD Research Group. See http://www.triad-research.com/research-team.asp.

Bob Dykes is also a key Build Lakewood supporter. See http://www.buildlakewood.org/#!mission/c14e3.

We have the best poll out there -THE VOTING BOOTH.

#8-"Fairview Hospital is 3 miles away-should it stay open or close?"

Ummmm......Close!

If Triad, aka Bob Dykes is conducting the poll it would represent a sharp departure from the professional he once was.

Future campaigns take note: If Triad shows up on related campaign reports, don't employ their services because it would be a very unreliable service.

Stan Austin---(Bob Dykes-- I hope you see my name)

Every time Mike Summers or someone supporting him talks about Fairview Hospital, the distance there gets shorter.

Early this year, Mayor Summers states 3.3 miles to Fairview Hospital.

In his famous Water Bill communication, the distance is 3.2 miles.

NOW, in the LHA backed Push Poll, the distance has dwindled to 3.0 miles to Fairview Hospital.

If these folks continue to communicate on this issue, pretty soon, they will be pointing down the street from Lakewood Hospital's ER saying..."Look over there..Fairview Hospital ER.... it's over there. Can't you see it?" (oh yeah...it's not too far...responds a Lakewood resident with the glare of Summers shiny community development baubles clouding the view )

Google states 3.5 miles from Lakewood Hospital to Fairview Hospital but the truth is 3.4 miles door to door from LH ER to FH ER.

Besides the fact that the push poll is misleading on length of time of Lakewood Hospital's financial distress and the real reason, they continue to lie about smaller issues.

Small lies on top of each other create BIG integrity issues.

"The Devil IS in the Details."

The LHA, Team Summers, Build Lakewood, the Cleveland Clinic and others are going to spend a lot of money to re-elect Mayor Summers.

Why?

Why does the Clinic care so much about closing Lakewood Hospital? The Mayor tells us that they can move out at any time without any liability. Why don't they do it?

There is more here than meets the eye.

I think the Clinic and Mayor were blindsided by the Metro proposal and fear its resurrection. Why?

1. Metro can make money at Medicaid reimbursement rates. Without the $24 million in administrative fees Metro would have made a lot of money in Lakewood.

2. That profit would have provided funding for enhanced services by Metro in Lakewood and other areas in Northeast Ohio. The Clinic and University have an informal agreement to not poach each others customers. They have no such agreement with Metro. Metros low costs and its competitive pricing would have reduced the profitability of the Clinics business. The last thing they want is competition.

3. The Metro proposal offered a partnership with Premiere Physicians and other independent doctors. It's no secret that the Clinics business strategy is to destroy the independent doctor. Anything that empowers those doctors weakens the Clinic.

4. If Premier Physicians and its independent doctors had a large presence in Lakewood they would offer 100,000 current Clinic customers
a. No facility fee
b. Lower cost office visits
c. Lower cost diagnostic services and treatment

5. The Clinic needs to limit the competition because its huge overhead costs leave it unable to compete. Think of the Clinic as the General Motors of the health care industry.

Why are the Mayor and LHA working so hard to destroy a hospital? The reasons given cannot be the whole story. Even a cursory look at the proposal show it to be very thin.

The proposed "Family Health Center" is just the relocation of the Clinics two offices in Lakewood. The proposed development is now reduced to keeping the building on Detroit and converting the old Hospital to a 35 room hotel. That's it? Oh, and the 450 parking places to replace the parking garage.

Why? What are they afraid of? Was there:

Misappropriation of parking garage funds?
Misappropriation of Foundation funds?
Criminal misconduct?
Personal liability?

All of the above?

This will be a $500,000 Mayoral race. What are they buying?

This campaign is not just about the Hospital or even just about transparency in government; it's about the future of Lakewood as an independent City.

Well said Bill Call.

You need to hammer these points over and over so that voters understand what is really going on.

You, Brian Essi, Bridget Conant, Matt Markling, Marguerite Harkness, Mike Deneen and a host of others are enhancing our understanding of this situation.

Thanks!

pam

Bill Call wrote:The LHA, Team Summers, Build Lakewood, the Cleveland Clinic and others are going to spend a lot of money to re-elect Mayor Summers.

Why?

Why does the Clinic care so much about closing Lakewood Hospital? The Mayor tells us that they can move out at any time without any liability. Why don't they do it?

There is more here than meets the eye.

Bill

They have already spent nearly $1 million on spin. 3 bogus studies, crisis managment,
more media at city hall and a couple thugs.

That is not even taking into account, political money, that is just public assets.

.

I'd like to know how much this cost. Apparently, they have plenty of money for this kind of crap.

I don't see anything misleading about the poll. It is misleading, however, to suggest that Metro is still in play, after they have confirmed multiple times that they are not. The Clinic has said that they will leave. Why don't you believe them? Metro said that they don't want to take it over. Why don't you believe them? Are there any studies done by any consultants that you would believe? LHA has shown that it's losing money hand over fist. Why don't you believe them? The only answer I ever get to these questions is that everyone is lying, and there is "something more" going on, and its all part of a big conspiracy to . . . . I don't know, build a rec center or something.

Jay Carson wrote: LHA has shown that it's losing money hand over fist.

The Hospital made money last year and is losing money this year only because it is the policy of the LHA to help the Clinic destroy the Hospital.

Metro made two substantive offers and only rescinded the second offer after being rebuffed by the Mayor. I'm sure Metro was made aware of the fact that if they expressed any interest in the Hospital they would be open to a lawsuit.

It might not be possible to have 1,500 hundred jobs and hundreds of millions in economic activity and it might no be possible to keep Lakewood from becoming a health care desert but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

A new Mayor that brings honesty and transparency to the process will help in any case.

Jay Carson wrote:I don't see anything misleading about the poll. It is misleading, however, to suggest that Metro is still in play, after they have confirmed multiple times that they are not. The Clinic has said that they will leave. Why don't you believe them? Metro said that they don't want to take it over. Why don't you believe them? Are there any studies done by any consultants that you would believe? LHA has shown that it's losing money hand over fist. Why don't you believe them? The only answer I ever get to these questions is that everyone is lying, and there is "something more" going on, and its all part of a big conspiracy to . . . . I don't know, build a rec center or something.

Jay,

You must be speaking to the wrong people or looking at bogus documents and numbers.

Here are 2 examples misleading and false questions:

"The hospital is losing $1 million/month. Should it close?"
So far the hospital has not lost that much in any one month---it netted $2.5 million last year and the investment pool only dropped about $53K per month in the for the first 6 months of 2015. The primary reason that it began losing money this year is because: 1. CCF/LHA and Summers announced that it is closing and 2. CCF is trying to make it lose money to achieve its goals. So the question is clearly false and misleading.


"If CCF doesn't stay, the hospital would end up an empty building - should it close?" This is a completely false statement with no basis in fact. Anyone who understands the Clinic and healthcare in Lakewood understands that the Clinic wants to monopolize healthcare in Lakewood. If they left, it would open the market up for competitors and would give Lakewood choices. More important is the twisted logic-based upon a false premise--IF CCF leaves we would have an EMPTY BUILDING so let's close it. That's like saying if the Browns left Cleveland, we would have an empty stadium so let's do away with the team and tear down the stadium so we can build some class A office buildings, mixed use retail/housing.

You wrote "The Clinic has said that they will leave. Why don't you believe them?" Jay, because they have never said that and even if they did, they are proven liars. Why do you believe proven liars?

I will give you a $10,000 check payable to your favorite charity (even CCF) if you can get Toby Cosgrove to sign a written irrevocable statement that CCF will leave the Lakewood Hospital Campus location and cooperate in an orderly transition to a new buyer, lessee or manager in the event that Lakewood finds one and that they will hold harmless any party that the City engages as a prospect. Get me the statement and I guarantee that Lakewood will have more than one offer to operate quality healthcare in the heart of our city within a few months. Many parties are waiting and watching our valuable assets--surely you know that expert opinions are like wet toilet paper when compared to live prospects with the financial means that bidding against each other.

FYI, Metro backed out of their proposal after CCF's Brian Donley met with Dr. Boutros and then Dr. Boutros said he "felt used" by LHA and Summers. Why? Because Summers and his Step 2 never had a written statement from CCF that they would leave. You can call that a conspiracy, but I have multiple sources inside Metro who say that happened.

No worries Jay, many other good people like you have been misled--some choose to ignore the facts, believe what they want to believe, just don't want to "see" etc.

Let's do coffee or lunch and we can work together to truly Build Lakewood hospital into a well managed up to date facility. (I'll bring my checkbook if you can get that statement.)