(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch
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Iowa nurses and aides fired for alleged abuse, drug errors and COVID-19 violations [1]
['Clark Kauffman', 'More From Author', '- February']
Date: 2023-02-28
An eastern Iowa nurse was fired last fall from a Davenport hospital for defying a supervisor and letting visitors inside the hospital’s COVID-19 unit.
The case of Debra Lundeen is one of several involving Iowa nurses or aides fired from hospitals and care facilities after being accused of policy violations ranging from abuse to taking money from patients. They are outlined in recent judges’ decisions that stem from their applications for unemployment benefits.
State records indicate Lundeen was fired last September from Genesis Medical Center for insubordination. Her firing was tied to her decision to let visitors into the hospital’s COVID-19 unit, despite a policy that barred such visits.
A charge nurse happened to walk by as Lundeen was letting the visitors into the unit, and allegedly told Lundeen visitors were not allowed. Lundeen let the visitors in anyway, prompting the charge nurse to summon a supervisor. The supervisor arrived on the scene and ordered the visitors out. Lundeen later claimed she was unaware of the hospital’s longstanding ban on visitors to the COVID-19 unit, despite the signs to that effect that were posted throughout the hospital.
Administrative Law Judge Blair Bennett recently denied Lundeen’s request for unemployment benefits, saying her “acts of insubordination in a hospital can put lives at risk.”
Bennett ruled that not only did Lundeen “ignore hospital rules (posted in) places throughout the hospital and in place for over two years, but she also ignored her charge nurse and her supervisor who specifically told that she could not have visitors back with a COVID-19 patient. (Lundeen’s) actions were reckless, disrespectful, and could have been very dangerous in a hospital setting.”
Lundeen had worked for the hospital for almost 40 years and in 2018 was among the health professionals recognized in the annual “100 Great Iowa Nurses” program.
More unemployment cases
Other Iowa health care professionals fired for alleged misconduct include:
Rebecca Schade, who worked as an aide for Blackhawk Life Care Center in Lake View from March 2016 through November of last year when she was fired. In May 2022, Schade was issued a warning after telling a resident of the home that her hair “looked awful” and she needed to do something about it. On Nov. 4, a resident of the home complained that he had overheard Schade mocking another resident of the facility. According to the complainant, the resident who was being mocked regularly cried out for help, which was a symptom of their illness. Schade, the complainant alleged, was repeating the resident’s cries for help in a sing-song voice in manner meant to suggest she needed help with her work duties. Two other employees of the home witnessed the incident. Schade was denied unemployment benefits.
Kelli Nehring, who was fired last fall from Bethany Manor of Story City, where she worked as a certified nurse aide. On Oct. 16, 2022, Nehring heard a resident yelling in her room, telling an aide to get away from her and get out of the room. Nehring entered the room and saw no physical interaction between the two but told her colleague to leave the room because the resident was so upset. Two days later, Nehring saw substantial bruising on the resident’s arms and reported the matter. Nehring was later fired for failing to report an incident of suspected abuse. She was awarded unemployment benefits, with the judge in her case noting that Nehring had consulted with a floor nurse after the initial incident and didn’t suspect abuse until she saw the bruising, which she immediately reported.
Yawavi Kpognon, who was fired from the Dial Silvercrest Corp., a nursing home operator. Last November, Kpognon was working in one of the company’s eight Iowa care facilities as a medication manager when she was fired for failing to provide a resident with their prescribed pain medication. The incident occurred when Kpognon discovered there were no syringes filled with morphine for a hospice resident who was scheduled to receive a dose every two hours. Rather than contact the on-call nurse, Kpognon decided to skip administering the medication, which may have contributed to the resident thrashing about in pain and then falling out of bed, cutting open their head. Kpognon was denied unemployment benefits.
Kimberly King Nelson Wederquist of Manson, who was fired from one of Good Samaritan’s Iowa care facilities last October due to alleged medication errors and her failure to wear a mask on several occasions while working the overnight shift as a registered nurse. On Sept. 20, 2022, Wederquist allegedly signed paperwork indicating that she had given medications to a patient, although the drugs were found the next day still in their original packaging. A few days later, Wederquist was seen failing to wear a mask to cover her nose while standing near three residents. On Sept. 29, she was twice seen without a mask covering her nose. She was denied benefits.
Ettinah Kent of Amana, who was fired last August from Community and Family Resources of Iowa, where she worked as a full-time residential substance abuse counselor. One of her co-workers reported that Kent had received $300 from one of the organization’s patients, in violation of a policy that prohibits the acceptance of any gifts from patients. The patient told Community and Family Resources that Kent had told him she wasn’t doing well financially and needed money for medication. Kent subsequently returned the money and was fired a short time later. She was denied unemployment benefits.
Sherrie Funke, who was fired last summer from Glenwood Place, a state-licensed care facility where she worked as a housekeeper. In August 2022, a Glenwood Place resident went to the office of the assistant director and reported that Funke had borrowed money from them and failed to repay it as promised. Funke allegedly admitted taking the money despite her awareness that doing so violated company policy. The dollar amount of the loan is not disclosed in the available state records. Funke was denied unemployment benefits.
Megan Sanculi, who was fired last fall from Lakeside Lutheran Home after being accused of verbally abusing a resident of the care facility. Sanculi was working with the resident, who had Alzheimer’s and could be aggressive at times, when she was overheard telling the woman to “shut up.” Sanculi was awarded unemployment benefits, with the judge noting that at the time of the incident she was struggling with a combative resident and had never previously been disciplined for such conduct.
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