We urge the Pennington County Commission to revisit its decision to cut $28,840 in community health funds from its 2008 budget.

The loss of that little bit in matching county funds reverberates through community health services in places like Hill City and Wall in a big way.

Without those funds, community health offices in Hill City and Wall will close, forcing people who live in those outlying communities to travel to Rapid City to participate in the Women, Infant and Children program.

Maternal/child health programs like WIC are funded by federal and state dollars, but counties have long contributed a small amount to keep the delivery of those services readily available throughout South Dakota.

WIC is what brings many clients in the door, where they find a host of other health services - from vaccinations to flu shots, family planning services to dental screenings. Those prevent illness and save money in the long run.

The Hill City community health office offers 30 programs, including Baby Care and birth to three developmental screenings. Many of its clients are Spanish-speaking families with one vehicle and fathers that work long hours in the logging industry. Those mothers can't push baby strollers all the way to Rapid City.

The Wall office is smaller, offering two programs and serving just 16 WIC clients, but the cost of travel or time off of work to drive all the way to Rapid City creates hardships for them, too.

Grocery stores in outlying towns will pay a price, too.

WIC vouchers for infant formula, cereal, dairy products, fruit juice and other nutritious foods total more than $2 million annually in Pennington County. But WIC vouchers distributed by Rapid City offices will likely be redeemed at Rapid City grocery stores. Fewer of them will be spent in the towns where those families live.

As a percentage of Pennington County's overall budget, $28,840 is miniscule. The county spends much, much more to help finance the Central States Fair or to buy services from the Rapid City Public Library. The commission even found $50,000 to help care for cats and dogs at the Humane Society animal shelter in 2008.

While those may all be valid expenses, we think making sure pregnant woman and babies have access to health care and nutrition programs in the communities where they live should take priority.

By spending just $28,840 next year, Pennington County can do its part in promoting healthy pregnancies and preventing the costly problems associated with premature births and low-birth weight babies.

That may just be the best bargain in the entire county budget.