Severely disabled people were used as human guinea pigs when they were experimented upon without their consent by staff at an institution meant to look after them, investigators revealed.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) launched an investigation into the Glenwood Resource Center in Iowa in November 2019 following allegations that some vulnerable residents had been used for a series of tests, including "sexual arousal studies."
State officials have now reached a settlement with the DOJ after the conclusion of the federal probe into the site in Glenwood. A new series of rules must be followed by the facility, and officials will monitor the center as it is wound down and the residents are moved to new homes by 2024.
The move—outlined in a proposed consent decree which was announced on Thursday, but must still be approved by the courts—follows a string of allegations and investigations dating back years.
In 2019, the DoJ's spokesman, Matt Highland, told The Des Moines Register that the agency's investigation related in part to allegations that sexual tests had been conducted on the facility's vulnerable patients. He declined to reveal exactly what such experiments entailed, but added: "The DOJ investigation of Glenwood Resource Center related to human subject experiments is focused on 'optimal hydration' under the 'Perfect Care Index,' and 'sexual arousal studies.' While we are still gathering the facts, we will investigate and address every allegation."
A scathing Department of Justice report published in December 2020 laid bare the failings at the facility. It did not specifically reference the allegations of sexual studies, but said that intellectually disabled residents were subjected to "uncontrolled and unsupervised experimentation, inadequate physical and behavioral healthcare, and inadequate protection from harm, including deficient safety and oversight mechanisms."
It went on to add: "Specifically, the department concluded that the state violated Glenwood residents' constitutional rights by conducting experiments on them without their consent. The department found that one experiment, which involved overhydrating residents, caused physical harm."
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, hailed the settlement reached last week. She said: "People with disabilities should not be subjected to the kind of unconstitutional conditions and ill-treatment that too many have experienced at Glenwood. This agreement makes clear that the basic constitutional rights of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities living in state-run facilities must be protected. Our agreement will ensure adequate oversight of and accountability at Glenwood, and requires extensive public reporting to promote transparency and rebuild public trust."
The proposed decree forbids "uncontrolled and unsupervised experiments" on residents and adds that it "requires better staffing, training, and oversight for clinical care; dramatically limits the use of restraints and seclusion; and requires substantial state oversight over all aspects of Glenwood's operation." An independent monitor will now be appointed to oversee the state's compliance with the requirements laid down by federal officials.
The institution dates back to the 1890s when it was set up as an orphanage, but it gradually moved towards caring for intellectually disabled people. It housed almost 2,000 people in the 1950s when those with developmental issues were more commonly placed in care homes. The numbers have dwindled over time as children are more often cared for within their families, and today, some 118 residents call the center home, according to a report last week in The Des Moines Register. Many suffer from severe disabilities and are unable to walk, talk, or feed themselves, while others have been there for decades and suffer from conditions such as autism.
The newspaper ran an investigation in April 2019 after a string of deaths at the facility, at a higher than usual rate, with whistleblower staff alleging standards had plummeted. However, the center vigorously defended its standard of care at the time. Nevertheless, Jerry Rea, the superintendent of the Glenwood Resource Center, was later fired in December 2019. The termination of employment letter from the Iowa Department of Human Services told him: "This action is being taken as a result of a mounting list of disregard for policies and procedures."
Rea was once an adjunct assistant research professor at the University of Kansas and has published several research papers on sexual behavior involving individuals with intellectual disabilities, according to The Associated Press, who were unable to reach Rea for comment. Rea has not commented publicly on any of the allegations.
In April, Kelly Garcia, the director of the Iowa Department of Human Services, said she had fought to try to ensure the facility could meet federal demands and said it was "devastating" that it was unable to do so.
Garcia said she and Gov. Kim Reynolds had decided there was no other option but for the center to close, and added: "Neither one of us, at any point, have had a desire to get to this point. But ultimately, I have to assure her and everyone out there that we are able to provide safe care and I can't do that right now."
Newsweek has reached out to the Iowa Department of Human Services, which oversees Glenwood Resource Center, for further information and comment.
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