GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) — The superintendent of Iowa’s care center for people with intellectual disabilities has been placed on paid leave amid a federal investigation into the facility.
The director of Iowa’s Human Services Department, Kelly Garcia, sent an email Monday to staffers at the Glenwood Resource Center, informing them of the action taken against Jerry Rea. The Des Moines Register reported that Garcia said Rea was placed on leave “in light of” a federal investigation into conditions at Glenwood.
Associated Press efforts to reach Rea on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
The newspaper reported earlier this month that the U.S. Department of Justice was investigating whether the state has been violating the federal rights of people with disabilities at Glenwood. A Nov. 21 letter from an U.S. attorney general said investigators would check among things whether the state was providing adequate medical care and using “needless and harmful restraint practices.”
The Glenwood center provides care to about 250 people with intellectual disabilities, many of whom have other health issues. Its history of problems over the years includes mistreatment of residents.
The 3 News Now Investigators will have more on this story, tonight on 3 News Now Live at 6 - Available on-air, on our website and on the 3 News Now apps for mobile and streaming devices.
We're also looking into:
Missouri River Levels - What's next now that authorities say they're returned to pre-flood levels.
Helping people with addiction - How a local program has been giving people the tools to move on after addiction and the lasting legacy of its founder.
