Youths would still cost the state

To the editor:

In response to the article "Mental health centers may not have to close": I would like the state to take a good look at how much it costs to have children in foster care, because what many people don't understand is that the children at Cottonwood Treatment Center will not go home if the center closes. They will go to foster homes. When these children have problems, they will be placed in facilities such as Spirit of St. Louis or Hawthorne. These temporary placements cost big bucks out of the state budget.

LAURA BAUGH

Cape Girardeau