Some people worry that the emergency department will be just a glorified urgent care center? Can it handle heart attacks and strokes and accidents and broken bones?

Every day, every hour, doctors and nurses will be ready to treat emergencies like heart attacks and strokes. This proposal makes certain that as long as the Cleveland Clinic operates a family medical center, it will include 24/7/365 emergency services. This agreement ensures the continuity of care in Lakewood.

The fact is that most emergencies involve treatment and discharge to home within 24 hours. If inpatient care is needed beyond 24 hours, patients arriving to the Lakewood emergency department will be transported to the closest, most appropriate full-service hospital.

This new agreement also contemplates the deployment of a mobile stroke unit operated by the Cleveland Clinic, which can take advanced stroke care directly to the patient in trouble.