Three incumbents and a challenger are seeking three two-year terms on the Moniteau County Health Center Board in the April 2 election.
Seeking seats on the board are incumbents Judy Bolinger, Carlene Petree and Carol Jungmeyer and challenger Tim O'Connor.
Carol Jungmeyer, who is seeking a second term on the board, spent her professional career climbing the ranks of the nursing field. She officially retired in 2001 from Verizon Data Services where she processed Missouri State Medicaid claims.
She first donned her nurse's cap in 1957 after completing a diploma program from the Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing, where she said her training was intensely hands-on. In her career, she was also a registered nurse for Memorial Community Hospital where she worked in the intensive care unit for 26 years.
Jungmeyer said she finds a specific feature of the health center to be intriguing.
"Being a retired nurse, it's interesting to see the variety of things offered to the county," she said. "A big portion of what they do is education. You can go there for lab work, immunizations, baby clinics and a lot of education."
Challenger Tim O'Connor is a self-proclaimed "city boy," but now calls the country home. His property north of Jamestown offers him a different way of life that he happily welcomes.
One feature of his life that has remained a constant is his 30 years of experience as a pediatrician. O'Connor said his field of expertise will benefit the board in a particular way.
"I know the board is working just fine," O'Connor said. "I just think they need more diversity. The board should lean more towards kids. That would help with the issue of balance for the board."
O'Connor earned his medial degree through the University of Missouri and spent a number of years in the city before he moved to the country for a change of scenery.
He also served in the Army Reserves in the medical corps in the late 1980s and early '90s.
"I know veterans are owed health benefits that they aren't getting or don't know how to get them," he said. "One of my three children works as an audiologist for the veteran's hospital in Columbia, and they say hearing aids is the most requested item."
O'Connor plans on reaching out to veterans in Moniteau County to educate them on benefits that are available as well as other information that may be needed.
"I'm also big on vaccines," he said. "You don't have to watch the news much to see all these preventable diseases that are having outbreaks now because parents decide to not vaccinate their children. This could be life-threatening, and it's a big deal. Parents may have their reasons for not wanting to vaccinate their kids, but I believe in the science of it all."
Bolinger and Petree were unavailable for comment for this story.