With the New Year comes the controversial changes to Lakewood Hospital.
The Cleveland Clinic announced Thursday that the hospital will begin its transition into a 24-hour family heath center.
Inpatient services will transition out of Lakewood Hospital throughout January. Those services will officially end on Feb. 5.
The current emergency department will remain open until the family health center opens.
Construction is scheduled to begin during the Fourth Quarter of 2016, across the street from the hospital. The new facility is expected to open in mid-2018.
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The group Save Lakewood Hospital released this statement Thursday evening:
Today as the announcement was made that Lakewood Hospital will cease providing inpatient care, we continue to gather signatures for a referendum on the March ballot to save the hospital. There was no open bidding for the hospital deal even though 3 viable health care operators expressed earnest interest in maintaining and improving Lakewood Hospital. Our city taxes will go up and health care for Lakewood and surrounding communities will be compromised by this morally corrupt move to close Lakewood Hospital. We continue our campaign.
