WATCH redux: Wayne commissioners should reconsider program funding

Wayne County commissioners are being asked once again to consider allocating more money to the WATCH health clinic than they approved in the current year's budget.

We have said it before, and we will say it again -- it would be a smart move to give the organization the money it is asking for.

WATCH provides health care to people who cannot otherwise afford it. A relatively small amount of money would go a long way toward improving the health of a great number of the county's residents. WATCH officials estimate that each dollar spent by the county on the program comes back eight times over in the good it does. That is a pretty good argument for approving the request. It simply strikes us as good business.

There is strong feeling among some members of the board of commissioners to give WATCH the extra money. A vote Tuesday on the issue was tied 3-3 due to Commissioner Joe Daughtery being absent.

The commissioners will no doubt have to take up the question again when Daughtery returns. In the meantime we hope that commissioners give the matter thoughtful consideration. Spending the additional money now would save taxpayers many times over in the long run.

Published in Editorials on July 21, 2016 9:55 AM