The Observation Deck

Here's a scathing look at the Cleveland Clinic and their seeming lack of concern for the poor - especially their own neighbors.

Remember, the Clinic's non-profit status allows it to avoid property and other taxes. In return for that huge public subsidy, they are to provide charity care for those in need.

Maybe it's time to reevaluate their non-profit status?

http://www.politico.com/interactives/20 ... tal-taxes/

I encourage you to email the author (Dan Diamond) with your information about the closure of Lakewood Hospital.

ddiamond@politico.com

In one of the articles, an east side neighbor of the Clinic refers to the CCF campus as "The Plantation".
To Mayor Summers and our "progressive" City Council, that would be considered a compliment!

Michael Deneen wrote:In one of the articles, an east side neighbor of the Clinic refers to the CCF campus as "The Plantation".
To Mayor Summers and our "progressive" City Council, that would be considered a compliment!

Lakewood minus Charitable Hospital=Excluding "Those People" from Lakewood=Cotton=Plantation?

What's next? A wall along West 117th?

Brian Essi wrote:What's next? A wall along West 117th

I'm sure many members of "Team Summers" wish that were possible.
I still remember "liberal" Tom Bullock talking about "protecting our borders".....he was Trump before Trump!

Let me again repeat.....so called "progressives" like Bullock, Marx, O'Leary, and Anderson love to pay lip service to "diversity" as an abstract concept.
However, when it comes to ACTUAL issues.....basketball courts, pit bulls, police abuse, or closing the hospital to keep out "those people".....this City Council is totally complicit with the not-so-subtly racist policies of this administration.

1. I’d like to echo Mark Kindts comments. It’s incredibly important to take this battle to the outside arena. The author of the politico article is a great start.

2. Bullock and O’Leary are comfortable right now because the fight is internal to Lakewood. It’s vital to contact media outside of Lakewood. The Clinic is in the hot seat right now.

Nadhal

One difference here is that the Cleveland Clinic was not the one that wanted to leave Lakewood Hospital. Our city officials wanted them out for their future plans for that property.

The Clinic was offered a sweet deal and they took advantage of it. All the money that was dumped into fixing the parking garage at the hospital and then Summers and Council use our tax dollars to tear it down for the Clinic. I believe we even paid for the demolition of the medical building. I also believe that if the Clinic ever leaves Lakewood, we have to buy the building back from them.

It appears that the company Fitz works for wanted that property really bad. What would be worth bankrupting your city, making insane deals with the Clinic in order to appease and fool the Lakewood citizens and all the other alleged illegal acts they have done.

We can't fool ourselves. I believe that Summers and Council may have walked away with a big bonus for their loyalty to everyone involved, except the people of Lakewood that they are paid to serve and protect.

Nadhal Eadeh wrote:1. I’d like to echo Mark Kindts comments. It’s incredibly important to take this battle to the outside arena. The author of the politico article is a great start.

2. Bullock and O’Leary are comfortable right now because the fight is internal to Lakewood. It’s vital to contact media outside of Lakewood. The Clinic is in the hot seat right now.

Nadhal

Agreed. Stumbled upon this article, which was prompted by a quote in another article.

http://usa.streetsblog.org/2017/07/18/c ... ty-at-all/

Go here to get in touch with Dan Diamond. We do need to go beyond the local media which is way too dependent on ad revenue from CCF and the other hospital systems to do any worthwhile reporting on health care policy.

http://www.politico.com/staff/dan-diamond