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Senate Finance Committee investigates abuse reports at Iowa care contractor linked to Mentor Network

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Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon of the Senate Finance Committee are seeking information into a private disability care network after recent reports of abuse, neglect and a possible death — two years after the network was publicly investigated for abuse while managing foster care services. The Mentor Network contracts with the two states through REM Iowa and Mentor Oregon to provide care for adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. In a letter to REM Iowa’s headquarters in Hiawatha, Grassley said media reports dating back to 2014 detailed sexual abuse by REM Iowa employees and a failure of managing clients’ prescribed medications prompted the Senate inquiries. In September 2018, the Mentor Network reported operating approximately 1,500 group homes and serving 18,500 individuals in 21 states, Grassley said in a press statement. The Senate Finance Committee released a report in 2017 on the Mentor Network’s record as a privatized foster care service provider. That report found that over a 10-year period, at least 84 children died while in custody of foster care providers in the Mentor Network system.