A would-be administrator is suing an Iowa hospital because she claims it failed to accommodate her 'shy bladder' when giving her a drug test.
Jennifer Conner was diagnosed with the anxiety condition paruresis, or shy bladder syndrome, as a teenager. The condition leaves her unable to urinate in public restrooms or near other people.
She is accusing Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines of discriminating against her because of her disability after it offered her a job as an organ transplant financial coordinator last June but withdrew the offer when she failed to produce a urine sample so the hospital could run a drug test.
Shy bladder: Jennifer Conner is accusing Iowa Methodist Medical Center, pictured, in Des Moines of discriminating against her because of her disability
Conner, who graduated Des Moines University in May 2012 with a master's degree in healthcare administration, is seeking an unspecified amount in damages, including those for lost wages and benefits, attorneys' fees, emotional distress and pain and suffering.
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According to her lawsuit, Conner manages her condition by running water or flushing a toilet when she is urinating in public restrooms.
Sample: Conner claims the hospital put her in a room with no running water and asked her to provide a urine sample and then nurses made her even more stressed when they knocked on the door to see if she was done (stock photo)
But she claims the hospital put her in a room with no running water when they were asked her to provide a urine sample and then nurses made her even more stressed when they knocked on the door to ask if she was done. She says in the lawsuit they knocked first after just four minutes then again two minutes later.
At this point she '... began to feel increasingly anxious and began to cry,' the lawsuit claims.
The Des Moines Register reports that Conner asked bosses at Iowa Methodist if she could take a blood-based drug test or use a catheter to extract urine instead, offering to foot any extra costs.
But they refused. Iowa Methodist officials told her she had until the end of the day to produce a urine sample at the facility or she would be considered as having failed the test.
Conner's lawsuit asks the court to issue an order to keep Iowa Methodist from discriminating against those with disabilities.
Shy bladder syndrome is considered a disability under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, said Tom Foley, Conner's attorney.
A spokeswoman for UnityPoint, the health system that oversees Iowa Methodist, declined to comment to The Des Moines Register.