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Woman Sues Hospital for Failing to Accommodate her ‘Shy Bladder’ Condition

By Cheri Cheng | Update Date: Apr 29, 2013 09:57 AM EDT

A woman is suing the Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines for failing to accommodate her shy bladder condition. The woman, Jennifer Conner, believes that she lost the position as an administrator at the hospital after she asked for alternative ways of getting a drug test. According to Conner, she suffers from a shy bladder, which means that she could not urinate into a test cup in public. However, Conner stated that she has maintained her condition in public with the help of the sounds of a flushing toilet or running water. Since the bathroom at the facility did not allow for the two requests she had, Conner had difficulty providing a urine sample and lost her position. Thus, she is suing the hospital for discriminating against her and is asking for a court order that would require the hospital to stop discriminating against people with disabilities.

As a teenager, Conner was diagnosed with anxiety condition paruresis, which is a disorder that prevents the person from urinating in public settings and is more commonly known as shy bladder. This condition is classified as a disorder under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Conner was offered the position as an organ transplant financial coordinator at the hospital, but was required to provide a urine sample for a drug test before starting at the position. When Conner went in to produce the sample, she stated that the bathroom did not have any running water, which she needs in order to be able to urinate in public. Conner added that the nurses kept knocking on her door, which caused even more stress.

According to her lawsuit, the nurses knocked after four minutes and then again after another two minutes. After the second knocking, Conner stated to have felt increasingly anxious and started to cry. Due to the added stressors, she could not urinate and specifically asked the hospital's higher management personnel for alternative ways for a drug test, such as a blood test or catheter. The hospital did not allow for either method, and subsequently withdrew its job offer. Conner believes that she was discriminated against because the hospital did not care to accommodate for her condition.

Conner, who graduated in 2012 from Des Moines University with a master's degree in healthcare administration, wants to prevent future cases of discrimination at this hospital. 

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