Likely Hospital Sentiments From The Outer Ring

Imagine , if you will, a thank you note from the residents of Lorain County who will soon have a new in-patient hospital in Avon.

Dear Residents of Lakewood:

We want to thank your Mayor for understanding the concept of the "new marketplace" for healthcare here in Lorain County. At a recent "Listening  to Lakewood" session, your Mayor Summers stated that back in 2010, University Hospitals spent $100 million upgrading nearby St. John's Hospital in Westlake. Soon thereafter, UH merged with Elyria Medical Systems creating many in-patient hospital beds for the UH system. Never to be outdone, the Cleveland Clinic,  ever in search of  increasing market share in affluent suburbs with high percentages of privately insured, found itself needing in-patient beds for their customers in Lorain County.

We want to thank the 2015 Lakewood City Council who, enthralled by the farseeing forward-thinking gaze of Mayor Summers, obediently and unquestioningly fell into lockstep with his vision of healthcare not just in Lakewood, but in adjacent cities and counties as well. Our gleaming new state of the art hospital will open soon. We are especially grateful for the sense of security this brings, knowing that in situations where close counts, time is on our side. Your sacrifice of the convenience and well-being of Lakewood residents  is our gain!

We find it hard to believe our good fortune in landing a full-service acute care hospital with an attached emergency room while you are currently left with an empty hospital building. We are also enjoying the many retail establishments that are popping up nearby and anticipate hundreds of new jobs that will contribute to our income tax base.

In all seriousness, many of us here in Avon and Avon Lake are simply stumped in trying to figure out how your mayor gave away such an important economic asset for a city on the rise.   

Feeling a little guilty, we hope that on November 8 you will vote AGAINST the ordinance that closed your hospital. We think both communities can support their own hospital services. You DO deserve a better deal!

Sincerely,

Grateful residents of Lorain County