Top doctor resigns from troubled Iowa center for disabled

DES MOINES - The medical director at a state-run institution for people with intellectual disabilities has resigned amid questions about the care residents received at the Glenwood Resource Center in southwest Iowa.

The Des Moines Register reports that documents from the Iowa Department of Human Services show that Dr. Mohammad Rehman resigned Friday from the Glenwood facility.

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating allegations that the former Glenwood superintendent was planning to conduct human sexual arousal experiments and had begun questionable hydration therapy on patients. The department also is looking into a death rate that concerned employees.

In addition, two doctors and four other former Glenwood employees filed a lawsuit earlier this year alleging a conspiracy by top officials to silence complaints about the research and patient care.

Rehman had led the Glenwood institution's medical staff for several years. The Department of Human Services said a recently hired physician from nearby Fremont, Neb., will be the interim leader of the facility's medical staff.

State Sen. Mark Costello, who represents the Glenwood area, said he thinks the Department of Human Services seems to be taking the Glenwood situation seriously and is making important changes.

'I think they're trying to do the best they can. It's a really difficult situation,” said Costello, R-Imogene.