Lakewood's Mayor and Fire Chief Address Concerns Over Emergency Medical Care

LAKEWOOD, OH - Mayor Michael Summers and Fire Chief Scott Gilman addressed rumors about the city's inability to handle emergency medical situations during a press conference this morning.

The former Lakewood Hospital closed in February of 2016. Since then, the city has spent time and money battling lawsuits from groups that wish to see the hospital reopened with inpatient services. Summers and Gilman felt they needed to address the community on issues of public welfare and safety related to the hospital.

"There's been a lot of comments going on that treatment has been delayed because we no longer have inpatient beds at Lakewood Hospital," Gilman said. "The fact is that as soon as our paramedics are dispatched, treatment begins."

Gilman also said that the Emergency Department in Lakewood is a full-service department, staffed by board certified physicians. He said that it was not a Minute Clinic. He mentioned this because 50 percent of all emergency pick-ups are transferred to Lakewood. However, some patients have been under the impression that there are no longer emergency services being offered at that site and have requested transport elsewhere.

"The narrative that's been floated in the community that 'people will die' in transit to nearby healthcare facilities is dangerous rhetoric, completely false, and insulting to the men and women sworn to keep our residents safe each day- and it needs to stop," he said, pointing out that even when Lakewood Hospital was open patients would frequently be transported to other hospitals.

Summers said he was disturbed by the allegations being spread by politically motivated individuals within the community. He said that healthcare services are being delivered in more ways than ever, and that more medical units are mobile. He added that the definition of appropriate medical services would differ from case-to-case and from community-to-community.

However, Summers did concede that the community may be better served by an inpatient hospital, saying he didn't dispute that argument. He did say that the economic forces at play make the maintaining of an inpatient hospital a "very hard circumstance to live with."

"The loss of a local inpatient hospital has created a sense of vulnerability. We all understand that. It's natural to feel that way," he said. "The fact of the matter is that [with the emergency department] the kind of care (residents) should receive is as good, if not better. But it is different."

The ordinance that closed the city's hospital will be voted on Nov. 8. Opponents of the hospital's closure have previously claimed that the Lakewood Emergency Department lacks key lifesaving equipment. They've also claimed that city officials steered bidding on the site towards the Cleveland Clinic.

The movement to "Save Lakewood Hospital" is holding a reception this evening to support its initiatives. The reception will include appearances by former congressman Dennis Kucinich and State Senator Mike Skindell, who previously sued to keep the hospital open.

Image via Rick Uldricks