A Waterloo hospital released a statement today that says officials were not asked to notify police when Mark Becker was released from their facility. The 24-year-old Becker is accused of killing Aplington-Parkersburg football coach Ed Thomas Wednesday, the day after he was released from the hospital.
Covenant Medical Center issued this statement on Becker’s release:
We initiated an internal review early yesterday and declined public comment in order to provide the most complete and accurate information possible. The Division of Criminal Investigation publicly disclosed Mr. Becker’s recent hospitalization and evaluation yesterday at a news conference.
Had the record indicated a request to contact law enforcement at the time of discharge, we would have honored the request by making the notification. Our review shows no evidence of this request, so notification was not made. It is always our goal to work cooperatively with law enforcement and carry out requests for notification as we have done many times before.
Care delivery and patient discharge are governed by complex Federal and State laws and regulations that were followed by Covenant Medical Center’s professionals. Discharge, in this case, was to a third party.
As the community seeks to make sense of a senseless tragedy, we will support the needs of law enforcement as we always do, while living up to our legal requirements regarding the confidentiality of our patients.
Becker has been charged with first-degree murder in the case.