Coroner candidate's nursing license was revoked in 1996

A Cape Girardeau County coroner candidate who is campaigning on his medical experience had his Missouri nursing license revoked in 1997, a spokeswoman for the Missouri Board of Nursing says.

She said Edward Frenzel's nursing license was put on probation for two years in 1996 for being "verbally and physically abusive to patients." A board report says Frenzel "used inappropriate force when attempting to remove and reinsert a Foley catheter." Frenzel was a licensed practical nurse.

The spokeswoman also said Frenzel violated his probation, resulting in his license being revoked the following year. Because of the age of the file, the board of nursing spokeswoman could not immediately say what the probation violation was.

At a candidate forum Thursday night, a questioner asked whether either of the two coroner candidates running against the incumbent had ever had a professional license and if that license had ever been suspended or revoked.

In response, Frenzel said his nursing license had been suspended due to a stroke.

Saturday, he told the Southeast Missourian that he quit nursing because of his stroke and before his license was revoked. He said he turned in his license after his stroke "because I knew I wouldn't be able to be a nurse anymore. That happened before I even had a chance to go to the board."

According to Frenzel, the incident was a one-time occurrence where a disoriented patient was trying to pull a catheter out himself. Frenzel was trying to hold the catheter in place or the patient "would have ripped himself open," Frenzel said.

He said the patient later filed a complaint.

Asked why the board would revoke his license even after he surrendered it, Frenzel said "I have no idea. That's the state of Missouri."

He said there were no other questionable incidents while he was a nurse, and that the probation violation simply was a matter of not turning in some paperwork to renew his license.

Frenzel has 13 years of medical experience as a licensed practical nurse and emergency medical technician.

At Thursday night's forum, he said his medical knowledge might help when investigating certain deaths.

bmiller@semissourian.com

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