Cleveland Clinic Announces Changes at Lakewood Hospital

As anticipated in an agreement reached last year, the Cleveland Clinic announced changes at Lakewood Hospital that will pave the way for future economic development in the center of the city. Inpatient services will begin to transition out of the hospital throughout the month of January, but emergency services will remain open 24/7/365 during the transition.

The new $34 million family health center being built across the street at the southwest corner of Belle and Detroit avenues will open in 2018 with a new comprehensive emergency department.

Key outpatient services that will also remain available during the transition include radiology, lab services, cardiovascular testing, the chronic care clinic, the diabetes center, the senior assessment center, the teen health center and the women’s center.

“The changes underway are transformative for our city,” said Mayor Michael Summers. “They represent an opportunity to be at the forefront of a health care delivery system that actually keeps people healthier. The prospect for developing the nearly six acres of land where the iconic building stands is exciting and has tremendous implications for our local economy. We will have health care that addresses our community’s second century, a facility that meets the needs of our citizens and a model that is financially viable for the near- and long-term.”

Last month — after nearly a full year of fact gathering, feedback from the public, a general election, and negotiations between the City, Lakewood Hospital Association and The Cleveland Clinic — city council approved a new master agreement designed to ensure the availability of high-quality health care in the city of Lakewood.

“While the Cleveland Clinic transitions its business in Lakewood, the Mayor and Council are hard at work on the business of Lakewood: realizing a new health care delivery system that is both accountable and responsive to our citizens’ needs, and aggressively pursuing development of the 5.7-acre hospital site to strengthen and diversify Lakewood’s economy and be a catalyst to further enhance an already vibrant downtown,” said Lakewood City Council President Sam O’Leary.

“Importantly, Lakewood’s emergency department will continue, uninterrupted, to provide comprehensive emergency care 24/7/365, until Lakewood’s new emergency department opens across the street, ensuring residents speedy and convenient access to care when they need it most.”

For more on the Clinic’s announcement, click here.