If Lawrence County was a medical patient then that would mean the doctors have upgraded the condition from critical to stable.

That is essentially what came out of the third annual state of the county report that was spearheaded and delivered by Commissioner Les Boggs.

This is a good sign because it could be argued that the county was near terminal and on life support a few years ago.

Some may refute that the condition was that bad but it certainly wouldn’t be that far off.

It is encouraging to see the progress that has been made and this highlights the importance of this report.

It offers a six-tier measuring stick to gauge where the county is and where it is going.

We agree with Boggs’ assessment that the county is stabilized and showing progress. Still, we urge the commissioners not to forget about the symptoms that showed up along with the “disease.”

These include spending more than the county brings in, over staffing in some areas, not addressing concerns with law enforcement and housing inmates, and providing exorbitant health care benefit packages. Many of these issues have been addressed in recent years but it is important that the county remain cautious in moving forward.

Some one-time solutions have helped the county make this recovery and those won’t be there next time.

To continue the patient analogy, Lawrence County is now undergoing physical therapy and should soon be at full strength and back on its feet again.