The Observation Deck

Metro’s proposal to take over Lakewood Hospital was soundly rejected by the Summers administration and Council. Our infamous Facebook moderator Jenn Pae, without any substantive evidence, claimed Metro didn’t have the financial strength to come here and provide service.

Meanwhile, Metro has expanded into the suburbs, opening additional urgent and primary care accessibility for several suburbs. They are also launching a rebuild of the main campus on W 25th.

Today, they announced two important offerings for their employees - an increase to a minimum of $15/hr for all employees, immediately and RETROACTIVELY to Feb 3. If you recall, the Clinic claimed they would raise minimum pay - in 2020.

Most importantly, they are offering all employees enhanced health coverage!!

For anything from open-heart surgery to a stubbed toe, employees “will not ever have to reach into their pockets,” Boutros said.

https://www.cleveland.com/business/2019 ... to-15.html

It’s very clear that in terms of addressing the needs of PEOPLE, MetroHealth is far superior to the Cleveland Clinic. For example, not only is the Clinic taking their time increasing pay, they refused to include unionized workers in the pay increase.

The Cleveland Clinic cares about one thing. Not you, but $$$$.

We in Lakewood would have been far better served had our “leaders” not pushed Metro away. We would have access to top notch health care and doctors, right here. For EVERYONE.

Meanwhile, we have a parcel we GAVE AWAY to a developer and we have no guarantee what we will end up with.

Enjoy your shopping.

Hey Sam O’Leary!

Tell us what a good job you did looking out for Lakewood residents. You certainly must be proud of your role in this, right? I mean, you all studied this and did what was best for Lakewood, right?

I hope you include your achievement in your campaign literature!

Hey Dan O’Malley!

Any comment on how the Clinic EXCLUDED union employees in the future pay raises?

Of course, Metro made sure the UNION employees shared in the benefit.

But, not the Clinic!

Of course, they aren’t actually giving anyone more money until 2020.

https://www.cleveland.com/lakewood/2015 ... ms_to.html

Hmmm. Wonder what else the FBI might find in Armond Budish’s emails?

Bridget Conant wrote:Hey Dan O’Malley!

Any comment on how the Clinic EXCLUDED union employees in the future pay raises?

Of course, Metro made sure the UNION employees shared in the benefit.

Glad they’re raising min wages to $15 - rather petty to exclude their few unionized workers.

And actually it was the union at Metro that negotiated the pay increases for everyone there.

rather petty to exclude their few unionized workers.

It certainly is petty for the Cleveland Clinic to exclude the unionized employees from the minimum pay raise.

But not surprising, given their history.

Bridget Conant wrote:Metro’s proposal to take over Lakewood Hospital was soundly rejected by the Summers administration and Council. Our infamous Facebook moderator Jenn Pae, without any substantive evidence, claimed Metro didn’t have the financial strength to come here and provide service.

Meanwhile, Metro has expanded into the suburbs, opening additional urgent and primary care accessibility for several suburbs. They are also launching a rebuild of the main campus on W 25th.

Today, they announced two important offerings for their employees - an increase to a minimum of $15/hr for all employees, immediately and RETROACTIVELY to Feb 3. If you recall, the Clinic claimed they would raise minimum pay - in 2020.

Most importantly, they are offering all employees enhanced health coverage!!

For anything from open-heart surgery to a stubbed toe, employees “will not ever have to reach into their pockets,” Boutros said.

https://www.cleveland.com/business/2019 ... to-15.html

It’s very clear that in terms of addressing the needs of PEOPLE, MetroHealth is far superior to the Cleveland Clinic. For example, not only is the Clinic taking their time increasing pay, they refused to include unionized workers in the pay increase.

The Cleveland Clinic cares about one thing. Not you, but $$$$.

We in Lakewood would have been far better served had our “leaders” not pushed Metro away. We would have access to top notch health care and doctors, right here. For EVERYONE.

Meanwhile, we have a parcel we GAVE AWAY to a developer and we have no guarantee what we will end up with.

Enjoy your shopping.

There are four individuals that can explain why the City of Lakewood ignored the $100,000,000 Metro Health System proposal to right-size and operate Lakewood Hospital as a part of its system;

Michael Summers
Kenneth Haber
Tom Gable
Lisa Frye

Some of this is reflected in the public documents that it took three years of litigation for the public to get to see.

One primary reason that the decision was made to close Lakewood Hospital was so that Lakewood Hospital Foundation funds could be liberated from their philanthropic dedication to the hospital and used for non-hospital purposes.

I conclude this on several grounds:

First, this is what actually occurred and has successfully been achieved outside of the Master Agreement;

Second, the Metro Health System proposal included significant land for future commercial redevelopment at the hospital site;

Third, the Metro Health System proposal had direct and significant financial benefits to the City of Lakewood related to employee health insurance costs; and,

Finally, there was no rational public policy basis for proceeding with the CCF demolition plan and Lisa Frye told Summers, Haber, and Gable exactly that on September 24, 2014.

After almost 6 months of participation in the improper, non-public, and likely rigged bidding process, the planners at Metro Health began to understand that they were being duped.

AND, Summers, Haber, and Gable proceeded down a conflict-ridden path of self-dealing.

AND, worse, down a path of negotiation that its own retained consultant advised against.