Mike Polensek's statement on Huron Rd Hospital
Councilman Michael D. Polensek statement on
Cleveland Clinic’s decision to close Huron Road Hospital
Residents in Cleveland’s eastern communities took comfort in knowing the difference between life and death was only minutes away, after an announcement today by the Cleveland Clinic to close the entire Hospital facility in East Cleveland will put Clevelander’s lives in jeopardy.
This comes after the clinic told council and the mayor last fall they would work to keep the trauma center open, and the hospital, open to serve Cleveland’s east side, the City of East Cleveland and Cleveland Heights.
This city always stood behind the Clinic to help them expand and grow. Every time they came in front of city council asking for assistance, we were there to help them. And now, we are seeing this institution turn its back on those most in need within our community. They mislead the council, deceived the mayor and all of Greater Cleveland.
The Cleveland Clinic prides itself on offering world class medical services, however, when it comes to Cleveland’s east side, they do not find it necessary to offer special emergency medical care to those in most need. Just last year, over 3,000 transports by Cleveland EMS were made to Huron Road Hospital, with 800 of those being for vital trauma care.
Residents living in some of Northeast Ohio’s most affluent suburbs are benefiting from the Clinic’s consolidation and disinvestment while Cleveland’s eastern most neighborhoods and older, inner-ring suburban neighborhoods pay a steep price.
The clinic has a moral and ethical responsibility to serve all of the community, and I challenge Cleveland Clinic to remember who was there when they needed help and not to turn their backs on our most needy residents and their families. I call upon our local Congressional representatives to weigh in on this matter for the clock is ticking.
Councilman Polensek is available to speak with the media on this matter and can be reached at 216-664-4236 or 216-857-7363.