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Department of Justice files proposed settlement over Glenwood Resource Center

The news comes just months after the state announced Glenwood would shut its doors for good in 2024.

GLENWOOD, Iowa — Following years of investigations, the U.S. Department of Justice has filed a complaint and a proposed settlement with the state of Iowa to "resolve allegations" regarding Glenwood Resource Center, the department announced Thursday.

Glenwood, one of Iowa's facilities for individuals with disabilities, has been at the center of controversy for years. 

In December 2020, just under a year after its investigation began, the DOJ found evidence that the state of Iowa violated the Fourteenth Amendment by performing unsupervised human experiments on Glenwood residents.   

“People with disabilities should not be subjected to the kind of unconstitutional conditions and ill treatment that too many have experienced at Glenwood,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in a press release. “This agreement makes clear that the basic constitutional rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities living in state-run facilities must be protected."

The proposed settlement addresses many issues identified during the initial investigations into Glenwood by: 

  • Prohibiting uncontrolled and unsupervised experiments.
  • Requiring better staffing, training and oversight.
  • Limiting the use of restraints and seclusion.
  • Requiring substantial State oversight over all aspects of the facility's operations.

The news comes just months after the State of Iowa announced Glenwood would shut its doors for good in 2024.

The Iowa Department of Public Health and Human Resources has been complying with the ongoing investigation, according to a statement they shared with Local 5. 

The statement reads in part: 

"At the heart of our approach is ensuring targeted investments to build out high-quality community capacity that ensures adequate supports exist throughout Iowa. Multiple providers have expressed an interest in serving GRC residents in community settings – rather than institutions – across Iowa. This is evident in GRC’s historically low census of 118 today. But there is still substantial work to do."

Glenwood continues to care for residents while transitioning them into community placements or to the Woodward Resource Center, another facility for those with disabilities. DHHS told Local 5 there have been 32 residents moved to other services to date. 

According to the press release, the settlement will also protect Glenwood residents who move to or are living at Woodward during the settlement term, provided that more than one-third of Glenwood residents are relocated there.

Read the full report from the DOJ here

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