Sometimes, numbers speak louder than words.

Eight out of the 10 staff members of the MSU Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, located in Lansing, left earlier this month. Count them - eight.

Reasons for the staffers' departure were not fully disclosed. They only cited communication issues and the department being too financially driven. The practitioners have since started their own private practice in the East Lansing area.

Whatever this development says about the department, we can't help but be concerned that it is suddenly so vastly understaffed - there are only two people currently working there.

Department officials say they are actively recruiting specialists in the fields of fertility and cancer care among others to fill the void that has been left behind. It is important for MSU to accommodate these vacancies as soon as possible. The staff that left also was a part of the larger MSU HealthTeam handling patient care.

Although the department does not know how many MSU students actually utilize the OB-GYN facilities, representatives say that since the departed staff is still stationed in the East Lansing area, no existing patients are adversely impacted.

It is never comforting to hear that a fully functioning department is not fully staffed. Although the department is still open for business, we do not want to be met with a worst-case scenario of a shortage of health care.

On campus, Olin Health Center is the primary care facility for most students. As an on-campus resource, it is an obvious choice for students who do not have easily accessible sources of transportation as it's a short walk from class.

Similarly, the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology is a resource for confused Lansing patients to turn to. It also is a department responsible for teaching. Reasoning forces us to believe that both of these responsibilities might be difficult to undertake with a staff of two.