The Observation Deck

While running hospitals and cities are way above my pay grade. I do know a couple things about this deal, and finding more and more every day.

ONE THING I DO KNOW

City Hall, Mayor Summers and Council President Madigan have gone out of their way to
misrepresent and LIE to their constituents. When I first ran the story about the Hospital
Closing, Council President went out of her way to call media outlets to declare, "The
Rumors Are Lies!" "That Metro Is Interested""I've heard rumors too," and other BS. While
the Mayor said "Maybe 100 beds..."

This was started 2.5 years ago, and this final offer was known more than 4 months ago.
You both were part of all of the talks. REMEMBER?

These were LIES and YOU KNEW THEY WERE LIES. You had already hired a crisis
management team to help release this for $20,000. This would be the first time the
City of Lakewood needed a CRISIS MANAGEMENT team, so you knew there was s crisis. So
please respect the people that elected you and apologize for Lying. Today there were more
lies printed about no profits from the hospital. The hospital only lost money in 2010.

WHY COULDN'T YOU BE HONEST?

WHY COULDN'T YOU TRUST THE PEOPLE THAT ELECTED YOU?

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Because their pants are on fire.... The behavior of so-called city leaders throughout this entire Lakewood Hospital fiasco has been an unmitigated disgrace. I have never been more disappointed in the city's leadership, or lack thereof, and have serious concerns about the prospect of my 85-year old parents living in a city without a hospital.

Meanwhile, as an aside, my mom has volunteered at the hospital as a floral designer for many years. She received a letter informing her that she could continue to volunteer in Avon, and while her response is too salty to quote here, she's considering asking Cosgrove to provide free transportation to and from Avon before she'll think about taking him up on the "offer."

Sandra Donnelly wrote:Because their pants are on fire.... The behavior of so-called city leaders throughout this entire Lakewood Hospital fiasco has been an unmitigated disgrace. I have never been more disappointed in the city's leadership, or lack thereof, and have serious concerns about the prospect of my 85-year old parents living in a city without a hospital.

Meanwhile, as an aside, my mom has volunteered at the hospital as a floral designer for many years. She received a letter informing her that she could continue to volunteer in Avon, and while her response is too salty to quote here, she's considering asking Cosgrove to provide free transportation to and from Avon before she'll think about taking him up on the "offer."

Sandra

One thing I have always learned, and was taught by many of the players in this. If you
have to lie and spin the deal to your partners, and constituents, you are only serving
yourself or something of suspicious nature.

Lakewood will not be in a healthcare desert, and I believe your mother can still be well
served with or without a hospital. I have written a story which compares Health care
in Lakewood with and without Lakewood Hospital, it's negligible. However from an
economic stand point, could be devastating.

Sidenote: I do believe Lakewood Hospital in association with Lakewood Fire had the 4th
best success rate for getting stroke victims into treatment with positive outcomes in
Northern Ohio last year.

I just cannot understand for the life of me why this city has such disregard for openness
honesty, transparency and civic discourse. These are the foundations of America.

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Jim O'Bryan wrote:Today there were more
lies printed about no profits from the hospital. The hospital only lost money in 2010.

Can you post PDF copies of the financial statements for 2010-2014?

Bill Call wrote:

Jim O'Bryan wrote:Today there were more
lies printed about no profits from the hospital. The hospital only lost money in 2010.

Can you post PDF copies of the financial statements for 2010-2014?

Bill in a bit, I downloaded them from the site I linked to.

What needs to be remembered in this is, The Clinic was protected from loses in their contract.

The hospital only lost money in 2010.

However the profit margin for the Hosptial was very low. And certainly would not look like a profit in a spread sheet.

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I completely agree with Jim. The loss of the hospital, from a "will I be taken care of in an emergency" big picture, is not that grim. We are myopic sometimes and forget that there are large swathes of the US where being within 60 minutes of a hospital is considered a godsend. And don't get me started on the rest of the world.

The issue is, based on what Lakewood (years ago) set up with the Cleveland Clinic, (a) could we have done better? and (b) Could we do better right now?

I don't know the answer to either. But I do know that, from a healthcare point of view, we will be well served. But from a community point of view, we might not be.

Bill Call wrote:

Jim O'Bryan wrote:Today there were more
lies printed about no profits from the hospital. The hospital only lost money in 2010.

Can you post PDF copies of the financial statements for 2010-2014?

Bill,

Appears to be a sea of red ink from operating losses(inclusive of interest, depreciation and amortization):




Scott Meeson

So what do we do now?

Rhonda loje wrote:So what do we do now?

Well we do not reward those that schemed to lose this hospital, do we?

We do not reward elected officials that lied to us, do we?

Also in looking at those pdfs, there are some figures missing including insurance pay, and medicaid pay.

With the way insurance and hospital pay is paid out, you need a Tier 1 or 2 hospital to get even close to making money. Lakewood on it's own would be Tier 3 or 4.

We take the money, put it in General Funds, and figure anyway we can make this city whole again. Losing a 1,100 medical jobs could be crippling. To throw that away for a rec center and $82 million dollars for your friends, make this one of the darkest secret baddest deals in Lakewood history.

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