U.S. Department of Justice

Civil Rights Division

Office of the Assistant Attorney Genera!
950 Pennsylvania Ave, NW-Rf'K

Washington, DC 20530
Telephone (202) 514-2151

November 21,2019
1, ^;

The Honorable Kim Reynolds j , ^p- —Governor of the State of Iowa If f It'

State Capitol !U 1.1; NOV 2 2 20i^ ;
1007

East

Grand

Ave.

 

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:

Des Moines, Iowa 50319   -. " _HUMA^ yf:Rv;c^r ""•t
f-> .^1^.2^ OFFi'CF

Re: Investigation ofGlenwood Resource Center and Woodward Resource Center
Dear Governor Reynolds:

This is to inform you that the United States Department of Justice intends to commence
an investigation ofGlenwood Resource Center (GRC) and Woodward Resource Center (WRC).
Our investigation will be conducted under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons
Act, 42 U.S.C. § 1997 (CRIPA), and Title H of the Americans with Disabilities Act, 42 U.S.C.
§§ 12101 et seq. (ADA). CRIPA authorizes the Department of Justice to investigate whether
there are systemic violations of the federal rights of institutionalized persons. Title II authorizes

the Department to investigate possible violations of the rights of persons with disabilities to
receive services in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs.

Specifically, the investigation will focus on:
• Whether the State of Iowa engages in a pattern or practice of violating the federal rights
of residents ofGRC by placing them at serious risk of harm by subjecting them to: (1)
harmful and uncontrolled human subject experiments; (2) inadequate medical and nursing

care, physical and nutritional management, and behavioral health care; (3) needless and
harmful restraint practices; and (4) incidents causing needless physical injury; and
• Whether the State of Iowa violates the rights of residents ofGRC and WRC under Title II
of the ADA by not providing services to those residents in the most integrated setting
appropriate.
We have not reached any conclusions about the subject matters of the investigation.
Upon completion of our investigation, if we conclude that there are not violations of law,
we will notify you that we are closing the investigation. If, on the other hand, we conclude that
there are such violations, we will provide written notice of the results of our investigation and
identify the minimum measures that we believe are necessary to remedy the violations. In our

many years enforcing CRIPA and the ADA, the good faith efforts of state, county, or local

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 jurisdictions working with us have enabled us routinely to resolve our claims without resort to
contested litigation.
We encourage the State to cooperate with our investigation. We assure you that we will
seek to minimize any potential disruption our investigation may have on State operations. The

investigation will be conducted by the Civil Rights Division's Special Litigation Section and the
Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa. We will contact counsel

for the State to discuss the next steps. In the meantime, the Chief of the Special Litigation
Section, Steven H. Rosenbaum, may be reached at (202) 616-3244.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter.
Sincerely,

^L
•7-^Eric S. Drelband
Assistant Attorney General

Civil Rights Division

ec: The Honorable Tom Miller
Iowa Attorney General

Gerd W. Clabaugh
Interim Director, Iowa Department of Human Services
Dr. Jerry Rea
Superintendent, Glenwood Resource Center

Marsha Edginton
Superintendent, Woodward Resource Center
Marc Krickbaum, Esq.
United States Attorney, Southern District of Iowa