The state will be closing school health centers to save $5 million (Page A1, July 27) even though the state has a $111 million surplus (Page B1, July 27).

This money goes for medical and dental care, suicide prevention, and drug and alcohol prevention. The loss of a middle schooler to suicide hurt the city of Lewiston this past year. Both high schools and middle schools in Lewiston and Auburn will be affected by the school health center closures.

Having a high school stepdaughter, and a stepdaughter going into the same middle school attended by the student who took her own life, has me saying that I would be willing to pay a little more on my taxes to save just one child’s life.

After writing an email that was forwarded to my representative in Lewiston, I found out that the Maine Department of Health and Human Services is not going to put the money back into the budget and the Legislature will not be taking it up until at least January.

These are our kids, our future that we are talking about. This came about from the budget battle. Should our kids have to suffer?

I believe that Gov. LePage and the DHHS need to step up and put the money back in and even increase it. Please show your support by emailing your state legislators. This might be a good story for Bill Nemitz to get involved in (we know he likes mixing it up with the governor). I love reading his stuff.

Stephen “Chip” Lurvey

Lewiston


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