Economic Triage 

Editor:

I'm pleased to see a possible return of a desperately needed nursing program ("Partnership, Stat," Feb. 9). Easy to blame College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State University for its demise. The real culprit was the state and its meager funding of both schools.

A nursing program is doomed to failure if expected to survive on table scraps. This will change only if individuals and groups clamor for adequate funding. A concerted effort by chambers of commerce, trade unions, PTAs and professional groups will result in adequate funding in rural areas like ours. If not, a bad situation will get worse in a hurry.

Bruce Haston, McKinleyville