A Waverly nurse who was sanctioned by the state Board of Nursing for adopting the baby of a former patient was fired last week after the board erroneously claimed she had been charged with financially exploiting a patient, according to the Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier. In January Miriam Simon was sanctioned for attempting to initiate an emotional, social or business relationship with a patient for personal gain regardless of the patient’s consent. Simon adopted the baby of a patient she treated while working at Decorah’s Winneshiek Medical Center in September of 2021. The hospital fired her after learning of the adoption last year. Earlier this month Simon’s current employer, Cresco’s Regional Health Services of Howard County, fired her after a search of a national database showed she had been sanctioned for financial exploitation of a patient. The board admitted the information was incorrect, corrected it, and apologized, but Simon was not given her position back. Despite the board claiming Simon initiated efforts to adopt the baby, Simon, who has seven children of her own, says she was in no position to adopt. She says the mother messaged her on Facebook and relayed that she was in the country on a visa and at risk of being deported if she dropped out of school to care for the child. Simon says the board’s actions have created a financial and emotional nightmare for her.
