Cleveland Clinic Announces Changes at Lakewood Hospital

Following Lakewood City Council’s unanimous approval last month of a new Master Agreement between the City of Lakewood, Lakewood Hospital Association and Cleveland Clinic to bring in a new era of healthcare to Lakewood, Cleveland Clinic is moving forward with changes to Lakewood’s healthcare landscape and announcing key details, including:

• Inpatient services (those requiring an overnight stay) will begin transitioning out of Lakewood Hospital throughout the month of January and will end on Feb. 5, 2016.
• The current emergency department at Lakewood Hospital will remain open and available 24/7/365 until the new family health center – with its own emergency department – opens.
• Construction of the new $34 million, 62,000-square-foot family health center is planned to begin during the 4th quarter of 2016, at the southwest corner of Belle and Detroit avenues, across the street from the hospital. The new facility is expected to open in mid-2018.
• All (860) Lakewood Hospital employees are being offered jobs within the Cleveland Clinic health system. Approximately 200 of these employees will continue to work in the emergency department and the outpatient services that will remain at Lakewood Hospital until the new family health center opens.

In addition to the emergency department remaining open until mid-2018 at Lakewood Hospital, several outpatient services will also continue to be provided at Lakewood Hospital, including:

• Radiology
• Lab Services
• Cardiovascular Testing
• Chronic Care Clinic
• Diabetes Center
• Senior Assessment Center
• Teen Health Center
• Women’s Center (In Community Health Center)
• Physical Therapy (In YMCA)

“Lakewood Hospital has been an integral part of this community and our health system. We are proud to be the healthcare provider for the Lakewood community for nearly two decades,” said J. Stephen Jones, M.D., president, Cleveland Clinic Regional Hospitals and Family Health Centers. “Providing healthcare to this city is a vital part of our mission and this new agreement strengthens Cleveland Clinic’s long-term commitment to Lakewood families.”

The new family health center will include many of the outpatient services Lakewood residents are using at the hospital currently and also focuses on primary care (family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics) chronic disease management, population health management, including an LGBT clinic and many specialty services.

“We believe that better health of the community is not just taking care of you when you get to the hospital; it’s trying to prevent you from getting sick in the first place,” added Jones.

Cleveland Clinic will continue to make significant investments in Lakewood, including $34 million to build the new family health center and emergency department; $8 million to support the new community foundation; and a multi-million dollar investment to support the City of Lakewood in closing the building and preparing it for redevelopment, in order to leave the city with $24.4 million for a health and wellness foundation. As part of the agreement, Cleveland Clinic also purchased the Columbia Road medical facility for $8.2 million.

Healthcare is in the midst of unprecedented change, both locally and nationally, with a dramatic shift away from inpatient care to outpatient care. Lakewood Hospital has experienced a steady decline in inpatient volume since 2005 – an average 5 percent decrease each year. In recent years, however, the decline has accelerated, as inpatient volume dropped 8 percent in 2014 and 12 percent in 2015. The majority of patients who live in Lakewood now use the hospital for outpatient services. Hospital operations lost an average of $1 million per month in 2015.

The City of Lakewood – which will retain ownership of the hospital buildings and the 5.7 acres on which they sit – will have the opportunity to use the entire hospital property for future commercial redevelopment.

• For details about outpatient services available at Lakewood Hospital and other updates, please visitclevelandclinic.org/lakewood.