Johnson seeks seat on Cape County health board

This is the eighth in a series of articles featuring candidates for the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center Board of Trustees in the April 6 municipal election. The trustees are unpaid and hold regular meetings monthly. Kara Clark Summers, county clerk since 2007, told the Southeast Missourian never in her tenure have so many people filed at one time to serve as PHC trustees. Nine candidates seeking four-year terms are running for three available seats. Additionally, two candidates are vying to fill a single unexpired two-year term.

Nancy K. Johnson is a family nurse practitioner who has lived in the Jackson area for nearly 39 years, living now just outside of Gordonville.

An adjunct faculty member at Southeast Missouri State University, she works with beginning nursing students and those preparing to graduate. Johnson has 26 years of nursing experience, has been practicing in rural health since 2012 and has previously worked for both SoutheastHEALTH and Saint Francis Medical Center. Born in Pontiac, Michigan, she moved to Stoddard County at the age of 12 and graduated from Dexter High School. She seeks a full four-year term on the PHC Board of Trustees on April 6.

Why do you want to serve?

As a health care provider, I want to give back to the community that has given so much to me and my family. With the recent pandemic, there is so much more of a focus (now) on community health. I believe a strong (PHC) board of trustees is the building block for a healthy community and with my background and my passion for rural health, I feel this is a great fit for me.

How do you feel personally about the still-in-effect July 9 mask order?

Masks are not the sole solution to the pandemic but when masks are accurately and appropriately worn, they give us another layer of protection. I did not agree with the closed chamber voting and the stopping of other voices from being heard at PHC meetings. Fear and lack of knowledge can cause people not to trust and there is also a lack of an understanding why were masks were important. I'm very comfortable with the mask as a health care professional. Personally, I wear one wherever I go and it's not because somebody told me I had to. It's a choice I made for myself. Hopefully, the vaccine will be afforded to everyone in a more expedient fashion. A question remains about whether masks will become our new normal and only time is going to tell.

What are your qualifications/background?

I was one of those frontline workers when COVID-19 entered our county. I'm experienced in rural health, emergency medicine, geriatric medicine and in trauma. I received an associate degree in nursing from SEMO in 1996 and a bachelor's degree, also nursing, from Southeast in 2002. I earned a master's degree in nursing education from Walden University in 2007 and a second master's for family nurse practitioner education with an emphasis in rural health care from Indiana State University in 2012. With my nursing training and 26 years of experience in the field, I feel very qualified to hold a seat on the trustee board.

What role should the trustees play in public health in Cape Girardeau County?

The trustees must continue their excellent work in supporting the county health department. I know the department has taken a hit with the COVID, but we must support the people there. The Community Health Improvement Plan the PHC has worked on has been so worthwhile. While COVID has taken center stage, Cape County has so many other issues and projects that need to come back to the forefront when COVID passes. I would include in that category: mental health, wellness and prevention and access to care for those who can't get it.

What are your goals as a county health board trustee?

I'd like to bring my combined nursing education and passion for rural health care to the table. It's vital for us to be the ears and voice for the citizens. We need to continue to lead in vaccine distribution in Missouri. We need to educate with facts and not give into fear.