Becking seeks seat on Public Health Center trustees

This is the 10th 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.

Eric Becking, a doctor of chiropractic, a sole proprietor with family practice clinics in Cape Girardeau and Dexter, Missouri, is seeking a full four-year term. A business owner, husband and father to five adopted daughters who attend the Cape Girardeau public schools, Becking said he and his wife have also been foster parents for seven years and have taken 15 children into their home over that span of time. Becking's website describes him as an "overcomer," detailing the loss of an index finger and thumb on his left hand at age 12 in a farm accident, a condition he declines to refer to as a disability.

Why do you want to serve?

The honest truth in this is my personal chiropractor, Matt Uchtman, who is also a candidate (for the PHC trustees), messaged me a few days before Christmas and told me he was going to be running for the board and asked if I'd be interested in running with him as a health care provider and leader. You can quote me on this — I said, "That sounds awful. What in the world are you thinking? What would it entail?" Matt began to share with me what a great opportunity it would be to serve our community (and) literally three texts later I said, "Sounds like an awesome opportunity," and I felt God was putting it in front of me for a reason and I decided to do it.

That's literally how it played out, because I didn't even know there was a board. The only reason I said yes was because it was so obvious that I was just supposed to do this, and I couldn't say no. Every important decision I've made in my life has followed the same template. I do think Matt and I can add a ton of value to our community.

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

I always tend to err on the side of people having a choice, individuals being able to decide how to handle themselves. If there truly is danger, of course we want to abide by (the rules), but at the end of the day, especially as a dad, as a health care provider, I like to encourage people and give them the facts but (the people) must choose how they want to handle that.

What are your qualifications/background?

I've been a licensed doctor of chiropractic for almost 20 years and with a family practice essentially for that long. I have dedicated my life to helping people become as healthy as they can be. In my practice, we address common issues — stress, nutrition, the immune system — all the things we need to be strong. I feel I'm an absolute expert when it comes to strengthening individuals so they can handle whatever comes at them.

I feel there isn't any scenario that I haven't seen in my work and have brought improvement in some measure in all those cases.

Scenarios are going to come up (before the health board) and we may not have an answer or a solution, but we need one — and between me and Dr. Matt — we have a pretty wide pool of straight-up experience and can bring a lot to the table.

I was born in Poplar Bluff, lived in Bernie and Dexter, and graduated in 1992 as a Bearcat from Dexter High School. I was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography from Mizzou in 1996 and later decided to pursue chiropractic. Because I had zero science courses, Logan College of Chiropractic entered me into its one-year intensive accelerated science program so I could earn the necessary prerequisites. Later, I received my D.C. (doctor of chiropractic) degree from Logan in 2004.

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

Great question. I don't really know. I think whatever we are asked to be a part of influencing but I don't know exactly what our leverage is — but I'm going to do all I can do to influence public health with whatever authority we're allowed. I want an amazingly health community — our schools, our workforce, our moms and dads — for me, I'm going to take everybody on as if they were part of my family. That notion will guide my decisionmaking.

What are your goals as a county health board trustee?

My personal mission in life is connecting people of all walks of life and help those folks find something in common, creating friendliness, a synergy that comes from everybody being on the same page. We want an amazing place to live and the better we are as individuals, everything is impacted by that. In my practice, when I can increase someone's health, their way of thinking and their quality of life, everything they're a part of is going to be better. My goal is as strong a community of people as we can have. Health care, community bonding and just love in general increases everything.