The Observation Deck

Suddenly, the PD loves Metro - after fawning over the Clinic for so long they finally admit how much Metro has done for the community while they tout their ambitious and innovative investments and expansions in the Greater Cleveland area.

Oh but how nice it would have been if Lakewood was included in this fabulous expansion and increase in health care service?

Here’s another “read it and weep,” Lakewood.

Your “leaders” sold you out for a stalled and shaky “retail” center that will never benefit you or your family in any measurable way.

https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2019/07/akram-boutros-is-taking-metrohealth-and-cleveland-in-new-and-important-community-health-directions-editorial.html

This is on top of the $231 million in community benefits -- more than a fifth of its total operating expenses -- MetroHealth returned to Greater Clevelanders in 2017 in education, community health efforts and other outreach. Its community benefit percentage was double equivalent spending by the Cleveland Clinic (11 percent) and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center (8 percent) that year.

I'm not sure we will ever understand why our elected officials didn't demand further consideration of the MetroHealth proposal.

The investments planned in Cleveland are attempts to get at the root causes of poor health with a focus on improving the lives of an ENTIRE community. Boutros is passionate about this. Summers & O"Leary, not so much. Even though the MetroHealth proposal for Lakewood did not extend beyond the boundaries of the hospital, it would have brought greater benefit to ALL, than the services provided at the Family Health Center and the development planned.

A few weeks ago, I was driving behind a car leaving Lakewood with a bumper sticker that read "In Case of Emergency, Take Me to MetroHealth."

My first thoughts were, that seems like a dangerous idea; in a real emergency, time is critical; something more generic like "Take Me to a LEVEL I Trauma Center" makes sense given the strip mall/drug store healthcare venues now available and the dumbing down of our hospital; but I assume EMS is trained to know this without referencing someone's bumper.

Then I thought, perhaps this person has a rare condition with a long history of treatment that is best served by MetroHealth? Is MetroHealth giving out these stickers? Or is that driver fed up with "The Clinic" and their five star hotel; parking; facility fees; being transported around like a commodity at their expense; appointments in Solon...not to mention the pilfering of our public land and assets?"

So yes, let's not forget that it was Summers, O'Leary, Litten and others that paved the way and gave a green light to the current approach and a red one to MetroHealth & Boutros.

Meg Ostrowski wrote:
So yes, let's not forget that it was Summers, O'Leary, Litten and others that paved the way and gave a green light to the current approach and a red one to MetroHealth & Boutros.

Let's not forget, Litten and Butler and Pae, and forgetting their fiduciary duties to residents of Lakewood.

UH just made Parma Hospital into another Level 1 Trauma Center.

Only Lakewood officials greed and shortsightedness coupled with a flood of lies allowed Lakewood them to sell the community down the river for their own goals and benefits.

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Some may ask, why keep bringing up the old history of the Metro offer? Very simple. There were multiple problems with the deal but this is the clearest evidence we have that the Summers Administration did not have the best interests of the City of Lakewood in mind as they closed the hospital. They were clearly self interested.