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Iowa facility for the intellectually disabled to close in June after years of controversy

The news comes more than four years after the U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation into the facility in late 2019.

GLENWOOD, Iowa — After spending years embroiled in controversy, the Glenwood Resource Center will close for good at the end of June. 

The Iowa WARN Log indicates the state-run facility for people with disabilities will close on June 30. Approximately 235 people will be laid off as a result of the closure. 

The news comes more than four years after the U.S. Department of Justice launched an investigation into the Glenwood Resource Center in late 2019.

The investigation led the DOJ to release a report detailing evidence of unsupervised human experiments and inadequate healthcare at the facility. 

Based on the evidence, the DOJ found the state of Iowa violated the Constitution and federal law by putting Iowa's most vulnerable people in danger.

Gov. Kim Reynolds first announced the state's intentions to close the facility in April 2022. Since then, Iowa Health and Human Services and the Glenwood Resource Center have been working to ensure a smooth transition for both patients and staff. 

Most of the patients living at the facility have been relocated to "community-based providers" or host homes. When the closure was announced, there were 162 patients at the facility. 

As of Jan. 2024, Iowa HHS reports there were only 57 patients at the Glenwood Resource Center, with 55 of those individuals set to relocate to an alternative provider. 

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