Progress Industries discontinues intermediate care facility services

Intermediate care facilities operated by Progress Industries in Newton and used by people with physical and intellectual disabilities are expected to close in about a month, ending the services for the foreseeable future. One family told Newton News their daughter is going to be displaced and will need to find a new home.

Tanya Myers, of Ira, said her 38-year-old daughter, Brooke VanCleave, was given a 30-day notice letter from Progress Industries saying ICF services will be discontinued and that her daughter’s needs extend beyond what the organization can provide in a Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) setting.

“I’m sad, I’m betrayed, I’m a whole ton of an emotions that I can’t describe,” Myers said to Newton News. “I just don’t understand.”

Which means VanCleave and the 14 other residents who use the ICFs will likely be evicted by Nov. 25, three days before Thanksgiving. Myers was notified of the news on Oct. 24, and every day since she cannot talk about it without crying. She worries about not only finding a new ICF but finding one close to home.

“Brooke has to move,” Myers said. “It’s the hardest thing on her. You could put her in hospital for a month and she would take it easier than a move. She doesn’t communicate verbally. She has a communication device but that can’t say everything for her. Wherever she goes people won’t know her. It will be so hard.”

VanCleave has been in an ICF ever since she was about 18 years old. Her first was in Forest City and then she stayed at an ICF in Clear Lake before she was recruited by Progress Industries to stay in Newton. Although Myers liked where VanCleave was staying in Clear Lake, she liked having her closer to home.

“We really wanted to bring her close, so we agreed to bring her,” Myers said. “So she has been her for 10 years. These past 10 years she has been able to come to our family events like Christmas and Thanksgiving and Fourth of July parties and graduations. We also got to visit her weekly here.”

Following the dissolution of ICF services for Progress Industries, there are no other ICFs left in the county. Which means Myers will have to travel a greater distance to visit her daughter, and she suspects it will be more difficult for VanCleave to more easily participate in family get-togethers.

In the letter sent to residents who have been deemed ineligible for HCBS services, it is stated that individuals like VanCleave can appeal the facility’s decision to transfer or discharge her on an emergency basis. If people think they should not have to leave, they can request a hearing within seven days of notice.

Hearings are carried out through the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals. Individuals have a right to be represented by an attorney or any other person of their choice. If the department awards a verdict for the individual appealing the decision, they can be transferred back to the facility.

Progress Industries was established in 1979. The organization provides community-based services to about 200 people in Jasper and Polk Counties with physical and intellectual disabilities. Of those people, 15 receive ICF residential services in two ICF facilities in Newton.

An intermediate care facility is a home and care center for individuals with intellectual disabilities or persons with related conditions. ICFs provide health or rehabilitative services on a regular basis to people whose mental or physical conditions require services including room, board and active treatment.

The decision to end ICF services applies to both facilities owned by Progress Industries. The organization provided this statement regarding the decision:

“Progress Industries is not closing, but this line of service is closing. We will continue to operate Home and Community-Based Services. HCBS helps people stay in their own homes or community instead of going to a medical facility. Progress Industries will continue to work with those in our ICF service as adequate placement is found. We will ensure everyone receives quality supports throughout the transition.”