Iowa task force fears other situations similar to "bunkhouse" exist

From The Gazette in Iowa:

DES MOINES — The head of a task force studying Iowa's policies on dependent adults with mental retardation told lawmakers last week it's difficult to say whether situations similar to the one in Atalissa might be occurring elsewhere in Iowa.

In February, officials found 21 men with mental retardation in a bunkhouse in Atalissa (pictured) with boarded-up windows and no central heating system. Some of the
men were found to be malnourished and had severe dental problems.

The men's employer, Henry's Turkey Service, had reportedly provided room and board for the men in exchange for part of their wages.

"It's very reasonable to speculate that there are situations that — maybe not reaching to the level of an Atalissa, but are similar in their overall nature — are occurring in Iowa," said John McCalley, who headed the task force.

The task force, which issued its report to Gov. Chet Culver last week, believes an outreach effort is needed to educate the public about where they can report mistreatment of people with disabilities, McCalley said.

The task force is not considering the idea of penalties for local elected officials who ignore or fail to detect situations like the one in Atalissa, McCalley said. The bunkhouse was owned by the city of Atalissa, and officials there said they were unaware of the conditions the men lived in.

"I don't think that a punitive approach with regard to detection and public awareness is correct," McCalley told lawmakers. Instead, the task force is asking lawmakers to require registration of unlicensed boarding homes and the ability to investigate them.
Rep. Vicki Lensing, an Iowa City Democrat who is co-chair of the Legislature's Government Oversight Committee, said lawmakers expect to begin considering such legislation this week.

Eighteen of the men still remain in residential care facilities in Iowa, and three have relocated to Texas. After undergoing extensive health care screenings, the men are much better off than when state officials found them, McCalley said.

A criminal investigation is pending.