Sparta Township has only one health department

In your well-written feature article entitled “The Numbers that Make Sparta, Sparta” (July 20, 2006), you stated that Sparta has 6,225 households and 301 public school teachers. You tallied the amount of water used daily in this township and even counted the money generated from library fines. However, you left out a very important statistic. Sparta Township has only ONE Sparta Health Department! The Sparta Health Department is vital to this community because it is comprised of health officers who truly care about the residents. In the case of a health emergency, this town can depend on the dedication of our health department. Aside from its many important daily tasks, the Department makes time for and gives attention to individual citizens. There are many people in this town who have been aided, comforted and assisted personally by the Sparta Health Department. I have lived in Sparta since 1986 and I can barely imagine this town without it; this Department is an advocate for us all. I was scared and saddened to learn recently that our town’s Council is considering abolishing the Sparta Health Department. I hope that instead, this Council will show the same concern for Sparta’s residents that the Health Department has shown for so long and decide to keep this unsung treasure. The Sparta Health Department is important to our quality of life; it helps to make Sparta, Sparta. The last line of “The Numbers that Make Sparta, Sparta” predicts that “Sparta will continue to add to its history in the years ahead, finding new numbers to define itself.” I am sincerely hoping that those “new numbers” will always include the Sparta Health Department. Lauren Jean Dermody Sparta