MANY THANKS for the incisive editorial of July 27 concerning the closure of Northwest Georgia Regional Hospital. I can only imagine the impact the loss of 750 jobs will have on the Rome area.

It is a huge blow to the area, I know. I suppose a large part of my anger stems from the fact that many of the clients this hospital served will not find appropriate care outside of a hospital type setting. In spite of what the mental health “experts” say, there is no getting around the fact that some persons with a diagnosis of mental illness are not candidates for private care. These environments often do not provide the structure, to say nothing of the therapeutic expertise, provided by NWGRH and like facilities.

Those who have been moved to other state facilities, such as Augusta, can now look forward to seeing a lot less of their families. These families pay their taxes, just like the rest of the citizens of Georgia, and they deserve better from the state legislature than, “Oh well. Too bad you don’t live closer. Can’t help you.”

In any case, the editorial highlighted many important aspects of this issue and I appreciate its fearless stance and in-your-face attitude. That’s good journalism. Keep it up.

From one newspaper veteran to another: Save that editorial for best editorial in the 2012 Georgia Press Association newspaper contest. It’s a winner.