Legislators are planning to spend millions to upgrade facilities and make other changes in response to a federal investigation of the Glenwood and Woodward State Resource Centers.
About 300 Iowans with intellectual disabilities and behavioral disorders are residents at the state facilities in Glenwood and Woodward. A December report from the Justice Department found that with the right services, nearly all of them could live in a community setting instead and the cost of that care would be less.
This week, House Republicans announced they’re planning to plug an additional $25 million into the budget for Glenwood and Woodward. Alex Carfrae, an Iowa Department of Human Services spokesperson, said negotiations with the U.S. Justice Department aren’t final, but the outcome is likely to require “a large investment in community integration — in other words, moving residents out of institutional care at Glenwood and Woodward. DHS director Kelly Garcia has been telling legislators that will require spending in the neighborhood of 25 million to move those residents into homes or smaller, community-based facilities.
In January, Governor Reynolds recommended a budget increase of more than $2.6 million to make building upgrades at the two state-run institutions.