AMC/NOMA President William H. Seitz, Jr. recently responded to County Commissioners: Jimmy Dimora, Peter Lawson Jones and Tim McCormack’s decision to allocate MetroHealth Medical Center only 3 percent of the County’s overall $1.3 billion budget via a letter addressing the problem. Within the letter, Dr. Seitz reminds the Commissioners that MetroHealth was promised, expected and deserves an increase in County financial support from $21 million to $42 million this year as a result of the passage of the Issue 15 Levy but instead only received $27 million towards its $585 million annual budget. He writes, “MetroHealth Medical Center provides a safety net to thousands of County residents who do no otherwise have access to healthcare. The potential ripple effect of loss of service at Metro is unthinkable and the commissioners must act responsibly and provide Metro with the funds that were promised to them as a result of the passage of Issue 15.” (see letter this page)
The AMC/NOMA president was then interviewed by Crain’s Cleveland (see headline. ) The article quoted Dr. Seitz’s letter to the commissioners and also reported that Peter Lawson Jones said he plans to meet with Mr. Sideras, MetroHealth’s CEO, “well before the end of the year” to discuss putting on the ballot next year a 0.7-or 0.8 mill levy that would raise about $100 million over 10 years strictly for MetroHealth’s capital expenditures. However, that levy wouldn’t answer MetroHealth’s stated need for additional money now. Commissioner Jimmy Dimora last week reported his hopes that the commissioners will be able to give the hospital enough money for 2005, but indicated increases of $15 million would be difficult to muster because the county already must cut $20 million from its 2005 budget. The AMC/NOMA will continue to follow how the commissioners proceed with the Metrohealth funding issue.