The Road Ahead

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Mark Kindt
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Re: The Road Ahead

Postby Mark Kindt » Sat May 25, 2019 4:17 pm

Updated Job Analysis

Before we go further into these comparisons, I wanted to update the reported, estimated, and projected employment numbers.

Except for the actual operations of Lakewood Hospital (now gone), the only proposal that maintained significant employment levels was the proposal from Metro Health System - 900 Jobs.

Estimated Values for Employment Scenarios 2014 -2018.jpg
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Mark Kindt
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Re: The Road Ahead

Postby Mark Kindt » Sun May 26, 2019 10:03 am

There Are Limitations To These Comparisons

But this is all about "magnitude", not "exactitude".

In comparing the 2014 proposal for a Family Health Center with the 2014 proposal to "Right-Size" the Hospital, it was obvious, especially to the Lakewood Hospital Association consultants (Lisa Frye and her team), that the proposal for a Family Health Center was seriously deficient ("no material advantage to the community"). At least, one LHA Trustee (Gorton) reached a similar conclusion and wrote it up as talking-points to the effect that Metro was a better fit for Lakewood and that CCF didn't need a Family Health Center in Lakewood.

The Metro Health System proposal was stronger across all the primary attributes of the RFP, particularly as it related to local employment for quality, high-paying, high-skilled, healthcare jobs.

Yes, various additions can be argued for each side of this table, but, largely because of new capital investment and retained employment the Metro proposals is always tens of millions of dollars ahead of what actually occurred.

Here is the next table:

Comparsion of Alternatives With Value of Jobs Added 2014-2018.jpg
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Mark Kindt
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Re: The Road Ahead

Postby Mark Kindt » Tue May 28, 2019 9:45 am

Healthcare Safety-Net Was Dismantled

Lakewood is now the largest city in the State of Ohio without a hospital.

Informed sources have advised me that with the closure of Lakewood Hospital and the demolition of the medical office building (at the corner of Detroit and Belle across from the hospital), our community has now lost its valued base of experienced independent physicians.

This table is an attempt to quantify that loss in terms of previous services rendered, but no longer available. I am sure that it is an understatement of the impact.

Since I do not have an actual physician headcount, I have used a reasonable range.

Impact of Lost Services of Independent Physicians.jpg
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Mark Kindt
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Re: The Road Ahead

Postby Mark Kindt » Tue May 28, 2019 12:09 pm

Lakewood Public Healthcare Safetynet Dismantled by 2018.jpg
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Mark Kindt
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Re: The Road Ahead

Postby Mark Kindt » Tue May 28, 2019 12:35 pm

Lakewood Public Healthcare Safetynet Dismantled by 2018 - Summary Table.jpg
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Mark Kindt
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Re: The Road Ahead

Postby Mark Kindt » Tue May 28, 2019 1:38 pm

By now, I'm sure that a few of you just think that I am nuts.

As the numbers come in for 2018, we can evaluate whether the policy decision to close Lakewood Hospital made any sense for our community. No how matter how you slice the cake, it just doesn't.

I have limited my comparisons between Lakewood Hospital and the Family Health Center, because to do more would always make the FHC run in the red. And, I thought to do so was sort of pointless, because it is obvious to all of us.

Similarly, the Three Arches Foundation is just old wine in new bottles. It did not participate in the Master Agreement; it just changed its name and its purpose. Aside from the minor grants made in 2017 and 2018, its invested assets don't represent new funds for local healthcare in Lakewood. The grants that it does make in the future may be diffused across other non-local purposes without significant effect for Lakewood.

The Healthy Lakewood Foundation is a different case. While it made no grants in 2018 that I can determine, in the future it should make grants with local impacts. However, it will never have sufficient income to issue grants in an amount that could materially replace the amounts that Lakewood Hospital committed to charity care on an annual basis. (Same problem faced by Three Arches.)

I've been a lawyer for 40 years with much of my career devoted to public service; I have never seen a public policy debacle like the one that we've been living here.

For the City of Lakewood, the road ahead, will not involve healthcare. They bailed on that.

Finally, my analysis does not included x-ray machines, medical equipment, new hospital beds, or bed licenses -- all gone now.

Those are other healthcare assets and resources that no longer serve Lakewood.


Mark Kindt
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Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: The Road Ahead

Postby Mark Kindt » Thu May 30, 2019 1:14 pm

Mark Kindt wrote:
As the numbers come in for 2018, we can evaluate whether the policy decision to close Lakewood Hospital made any sense for our community. No how matter how you slice the cake, it just doesn't.

The Healthy Lakewood Foundation is a different case. While it made no grants in 2018 that I can determine, in the future it should make grants with local impacts. However, it will never have sufficient income to issue grants in an amount that could materially replace the amounts that Lakewood Hospital committed to charity care on an annual basis.


With respect to the "New Foundation" (n/k/a Healthy Lakewood Foundation or HLF), it is now three and a half years after the City signed the Master Agreement that contractually required its formation.

The operations of HLF are not particularly public or visible (search Google or Facebook). I have seen no news on HLF since its formation last summer.

Yes, I get the idea that they are still getting up to speed. However, they are receiving proceeds from one of the largest dispositions of liquidated public assets in the history of the City.

More than three years have now passed. Some basic public information about their official activities needs to surface sooner or later. I encourage them to do so.

Am I missing something? Please let me know, if I have missed all of this. (I previously checked both Google and Facebook and found nothing recent or relevant.)


Mark Kindt
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Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: The Road Ahead

Postby Mark Kindt » Wed Jun 05, 2019 2:26 pm

Character and Integrity

Let me personally thank each reader of The Observation Deck for following this Deck essay over the past 6 months.

Let me conclude with some comments that you may have seen and heard last night on The PBS News Hour.

When asked about the most important qualities of public officials, Admiral William McRaven boiled it down to two qualities -- Character and Integrity.

When asked about the most important qualities of leadership he said exactly the same thing -- Character and Integrity.

He summed this up by stating that true leaders make decisions that are moral, legal, and ethical.

We now know from public documents that the January 2015 City Hall Press Conference and press release about the plan to close the hospital were based on an out-and-out falsehood -- that this would bring $120,000,000 worth of new investment to Lakewood. From those documents, we also know that the elected officials and civic leaders who were involved knew that they had launched this initiative with a falsehood.

It speaks volumes about their "character and integrity".

I urge everyone to pass the current issue of the Lakewood Observer to their neighbors. This is an important Issue. Congratulations to the entire team at the Observer for what should be an award-winning article.


Mark Kindt
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Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: The Road Ahead

Postby Mark Kindt » Fri Jul 12, 2019 8:02 am

The Next Chapter In The Looting of Lakewood is Here

posting.php?f=7&mode=reply&t=25325

Please read the letter from Mayor Summers to Lakewood City Council that Mr. O'Bryan recently posted.

More promises from civic leaders to distribute millions of dollars to a new private entity.

Tens of millions of dollars have already been "liberated" from the public assets in Lakewood to the financial or economic benefit of private parties. Here we go again!

Round Two!

Unbelievable!


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Jim O'Bryan
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Re: The Road Ahead

Postby Jim O'Bryan » Mon Jul 15, 2019 9:22 am

Lakewood's dream as cast by 60+ somethings desperate to develop for the sake of developing.

Development Blacked is the condition as I see it. After years of bad plans, being found out as bad or mediocre plans they grabbed and liquidated Lakewood largest and biggest financial assets for yet another strip mall, well actually a multi-use Strip Mall, errr Maul would be more appropriate.

And a Detroit and Madison that will look akin to this...

Image

The same cookie cutter crap popping up all over.

.


Jim O'Bryan
Lakewood Resident

"The very act of observing disturbs the system."
Werner Heisenberg

"If anything I've said seems useful to you, I'm glad.
If not, don't worry. Just forget about it."
His Holiness The Dalai Lama

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