Photo: WHO 13
(Des Moines, IA) -- The Glenwood Resource Center will be shut down by the state of Iowa in 2024, nearly three years after the Department of Justice (DOJ) opened an investigation involving unsupervised human experiments and inadequate medical care.
Located in Glenwood, the center aims to provide residential care to Iowans with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“While necessary, the decision to close the Glenwood Resource Center is a difficult one that I take very seriously. For many residents, it’s the only home they’ve ever known. I am fully committed to a seamless and successful transition of care for them, their families and the staff at Glenwood,” says Gov. Reynolds.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says the residents of the center will transition to community placements or the Woodward Resource Center over the next two years.
“In addition to families, guardians, residents and staff, this decision directly affects the entire Glenwood community, and we don’t take that lightly,” says House Speaker Pat Grassley. “As we work to meet the needs of GRC residents in the least restrictive setting possible, we will also be working closely with state agencies and local officials to ensure we support the needs of the community throughout this process.”
To minimize the impact on the Glenwood community, Reynolds says the Iowa Department of Human Services will work with care providers across the state to ensure continual access to care for the residents throughout the transition.
“Iowans with intellectual and developmental disabilities deserve quality care that aligns with the expectations of the DOJ. Our best path forward to achieve those standards is closing GRC and reinvesting in a community-based care continuum that offers a broad array of services. That’s what we’re prepared to do to continue to meet the needs of Iowans," says Reynolds.
The U.S. Justice Department opened the investigation into the Glenwood Resource Center in November of 2019. The DOJ investigation looked into "human subject experiments", "optimal hydration", and "sexual arousal studies".
On December 6th, 2019, the Director of the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) Kelly Garcia placed Jerry Rea, the Superintendent of Glenwood Resource Center, on administrative leave. Later in December on the 30th, Rea's employment was terminated. Throughout 2020, DHS and DOJ conducted surveys, interviews, town halls, and onsite investigations.
By December 22nd, 2020, the Department of Justice finds the Glenwood Resource Center conducted human subjects experimentation with consent through optimal hydration studies, provided inadequate physical care and behavioral supports, and lacked quality oversight to report any concerns or abuse.
In 2021, the Department of Justice expands their investigation into resource centers across the state of Iowa. On December 8th, 2021, the DOJ finds the state fails to address known deficiencies in community-based services, such as inadequate access to intellectual and developmental disability supports or lack of access to services for those with complex needs.
The Justice Department also finds Iowa too heavily relies on institutions and lacks oversight on community-based services and Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) to prevent the normalization of inadequate care, or even abuse.
More information into the background of the investigation, as well as updates into the situation, can be found here.
Starting today, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services will be at the Glenwood Resource Center to meet with the residents, family members, and staff to talk about what the transition process will look like.