Care facility workers fired for neglect, falsified records, on-duty i…

An Iowa hospital worker was forced to resign in September after co-workers reported they suspected he was intoxicated.

According to state records, Kevin K. Bennett worked as a full-time patient access professional for Jennie Edmundson Memorial Hospital in Council Bluffs prior to his termination on Sept. 5, 2023. Typically, patient access professionals guide patients through the admission process and answer any questions they have.

Bennett resigned after being asked to submit to drug and alcohol testing due to what the hospital felt was a reasonable suspicion that he was under the influence while on duty.

At a subsequent hearing dealing with his request for unemployment benefits, Bennett stated that his father had died recently and he had been drinking the night of Sept. 4, 2023. Bennett stated he drank more than normal, but stopped drinking at midnight. Six hours later, he arrived at work — although, he testified, he probably shouldn’t have…