GLENWOOD, Iowa — Iowa failed to protect some of its most vulnerable residents, according to a report released Monday by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
The DOJ said they have reasonable cause to believe that conditions at Glenwood Resource Center violated the Constitution and federal law.
“Individuals with disabilities are not human guinea pigs, and like all persons, they should never be subject to bizarre and deviant pseudo-medical ‘experiments’ that injure them," said Eric Dreiband, assistant attorney general for the DOJ's Civil Rights Division. "Human experimentation is the hallmark of sick totalitarian states and has no place in the United States of America."
The DOJ's investigation into the state-run facility for people with disabilities began just over a year ago.
That investigation found Glenwood conducted uncontrolled and unsupervised experiments on residents.
A release published Tuesday by the DOJ said Glenwood Resource Center subjected residents to "inadequate physical and behavioral health care and inadequate protection from harm, including deficient safety and oversight mechanisms."
"Specifically, the department concluded that the state violated Glenwood residents’ constitutional rights by conducting experiments on them without their consent," the DOJ release said.
The DOJ concluded that Glenwood's behavioral health care, including its use of restraints, violated residents' due process rights.
According to the DOJ, Glenwood's use of restraints increased by 300% from 2017-2019.
The Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) and Glenwood are accused of fostering the environment for these violations to occur in the DOJ's release.
Dreiband said he intends to work with the state to ensure reforms are implemented at Glenwood so residents get the care they deserve.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds released the following statement Tuesday evening:
“What happened at the Glenwood Resource Center was unconscionable and unacceptable. Under Director Garcia’s leadership at DHS, we’ve fully cooperated with the investigation and I commend her for immediately digging in to assess the situation.
I am committed to bringing all the tools and state resources needed to address the challenges at the facility. The families and loved ones remain in my thoughts as this likely brings up very difficult and strong emotions.”
A 63-page report from DHS is being looked over by Local 5's Chief Investigative Reporter Rachel Droze. More details to follow on Wednesday.