The Observation Deck

Haven't had a chance to read it yet, but Scene Magazine's cover story this week is about: "the struggle to save (or close) Lakewood Hospital is a circus act with NO SIGNS OF ENDING"

See http://m.clevescene.com/cleveland/the-struggle-to-save-or-close-lakewood-hospital-is-a-circus-act-with-no-signs-of-ending/Content?oid=4631939.

I know that no one article can cover all of the issues at hand, and I think it did discuss how this was a carefully orchestrated plan by the CCF with the help of Summers and friends, but I wish they could have had space to give a glimpse of what would happen if we capitulate to CCF. The enormous loss both economically and and in terms of access to health care. Or how about the social and inequality issues of large health providers systematically abandoning inner city and inner ring populations?

Although Scene lacks the extensive background and facts of the Observer (which has pioneered and led the media coverage of this issue), I greatly appreciate that Eric Sandy did this piece.

He provided a lot of useful facts to Scene readership.
He took this issue to a broader audience beyond Lakewood's borders.
To this point the only regionwide print coverage has come from the PD, which has done an abysmal job.

wow, I always thought no one ever read the Deck.



Eric Sandy has been a good fair writer since I first read his stories at Sun Papers.
In this article he was factual, without emotion or bias. A staggering read.

For fellow Observers, I love each and every one of you who have taken the
time to take part in this social experience. Agree, disagree, lurk, or just bitch
about us, it is appreciated. It's all about the conversation.

As Matthew Markling once so perfectly posted...



peace/love

An astute observation by Eric Sandy is: "The struggle to save or shutter the hospital is changing the city's landscape - its culture and legacy - irrevocably."

He doesn't mention our entrenched Democrat politicians, but that too. It seems to me that this is the last stand of the old guard and the emergence of a newly energized citizen base. No matter the result, Lakewood will change - for the better, I hope.

Dan Alaimo wrote:He doesn't mention our entrenched Democrat politicians, but that too.

The local Democratic establishment....specifically the so-called "Lakewood Democratic Club" and the old-line precinct captains....have been an utter disgrace.
They have embraced corporatism, abuse of workers, gag orders, medical redlining, and marginalization of the poor and elderly.
Ask yourself this.....would Martin Luther King endorse this hospital deal?

Some of the "Fake Dem" officeholders such as Summers will be held to account in November.
Others (such as Tom Bullock) will meet their fate in 2017.

Dan Alaimo wrote:An astute observation by Eric Sandy is: "The struggle to save or shutter the hospital is changing the city's landscape - its culture and legacy - irrevocably."

Dan

I had the chance to talk with Eric a couple months ago, for about 15 minutes, he asked
about the hospital, and I told him to read a couple documents. I have always found him
fair, and unwilling to be shaken in what he wrote for the SunPapers, and has become a
true star in investigative reporting in Cleveland while at the Scene.

About a week ago, I got a call and talked with him again for a couple minutes, one of the
things we talked about was "the differences and lines of battle." Over his two months
working on the hospital, he became a lot more familiar with the Lakewood he lived
in. I believe he was shocked by what he observed.

Something a lot of people never understand, is there have been some serious skirmishes
throughout Lakewood for over a decade, and there seems to be a small group involved in
90% of them. And it is not divided amongst Ds and Rs. It is not economic division, though
one does exist. It is a sick "clubbiness," and Dan you know exactly what I am saying.

One shining example is, people care more about telling you what not to say, then for them
to speak up themselves. Odd in a country that puts so much stock in the 1st Amendment
that a huge point of contention in this city is to "not speak out." God forbid you say
something and someone else goes, "Oh that happened to me." or even worse, "You know I
was wondering about that too."

.

Dan Alaimo wrote:An astute observation by Eric Sandy is: "The struggle to save or shutter the hospital is changing the city's landscape - its culture and legacy - irrevocably."

It seems to me that this is the last stand of the old guard and the emergence of a newly energized citizen base. No matter the result, Lakewood will change - for the better, I hope.

The Clinic has threatened me and violated my First Amendment Rights.

The Clinic has instructed and/or threatened people to not associate or speak with me.

In lock step with the Clinic--Madigan and Bullock (elected to serve me) have berated me and violated my First Amendment Rights in an effort to quash what does not fit their bogus Clinic narrative---all recorded in public.

People tell me that I should be concerned for my safety in relation to the Clinic and City Hall.

I hope Dan is right about the future, but right now the old guard is clinging to power.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:One shining example is, people care more about telling you what not to say, then for them
to speak up themselves. Odd in a country that puts so much stock in the 1st Amendment
that a huge point of contention in this city is to "not speak out." God forbid you say
something and someone else goes, "Oh that happened to me." or even worse, "You know I
was wondering about that too."

And I for one really hate that and have experienced it in the Kauffman Park situation. I'm looking to back off there mainly because I've become too busy with work stuff (a good problem), but also because I don't care for the idea of tip-toeing around the Mayor's agenda. To me, a hospital is more important than a splash pad.

But here's another tidbit from the Scene article:
"MetroHealth, the community later learned, had twice submitted its own proposal that would have maintained inpatient hospital operations and contractual obligations. Attorneys there have since backed away."

That's the first time I've heard the real reason for Metro's withdrawal stated so clearly - it was a legal conflict, not a market-driven concern. That says to me, among other things, if CCF is out of the picture, we'll have little trouble filling that market void. It may or may not be a hospital, but as Jim has pointed out, there's no rush to decide right now.

Dan Alaimo wrote:That's the first time I've heard the real reason for Metro's withdrawal stated so clearly - it was a legal conflict, not a market-driven concern. That says to me, among other things, if CCF is out of the picture, we'll have little trouble filling that market void. It may or may not be a hospital, but as Jim has pointed out, there's no rush to decide right now.

Dan,

You are right. Among the biggest lies told is that we have explored all options, have no options and will end up with an empty building.

Ridiculous!

Summers rebuffed more than Metro.

They haven't made any effort in a year and 1/2.

I know of 3 suitors still interested--and I haven't been looking.

Do you really think Summers does not know this?

America has always struggled with what to do with surplus resources.
Par for the course is to squander them.