HAMMOND | Today's march to protest the closing of the city's health department was spurred by groups concerned about the impact, Health Officer-Administrator Dr. Rodrigo Panares said Friday.

Panares said he was approached by a group of mothers after the last City Council meeting.

"They were mothers who depend on us for inoculations and school physicals," he said. "We did over 200 school physicals. Some parents just can't afford to go to the doctor."

According to the news release announcing the protest, the march is co-sponsored by Mother's March for Health and the Citizen's Health Coalition.

The 118-year-old health department lost its funding in a 5-4 vote by the City Council in September.

By law, the Lake County Health Department must take up the slack. Whether the county will establish a satellite office in Hammond appears to be up to Lake County Health Officer Dr. Susan Best, who is reported to be opposed to the prospect.

Best did not return a call for immediate comment Friday, but Lake County Commissioners Gerry Scheub and Roosevelt Allen Jr. said the commissioners have not met with Best since she indicated she was opposed to the satellite office.

"The problem is going to be affordable staffing," Scheub said. "It's definitely up to her. I'm not going to tell her how to run her department."

Allen said taxes have been foremost on the commissioners' minds, though it has been determined neither Gary nor East Chicago are interested in the county taking over their health departments, a factor Allen has said also would enter into a final decision about the potential of a satellite office.

Allen said the commissioners will return to the question of the health department's future sometime this month. The Hammond City Council also has delayed discussion of restoring the department with casino dollars until at least its next meeting, which is most likely Nov. 26. Doors to the city's health department close Dec. 31.

With little evidence of movement at the county or the city level, the issue has become a political football, Scheub said.

"It's a shame it turned out to be a political football," he said. "It didn't have to be."