Branstad, Reynolds Hear Glen Haven Village Plan

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds got a first-hand look at one of the cottages on the Glenwood Resource Center that will be part of the Glen Haven Village skilled nursing facility during a one-hour whirlwind tour of the GRC campus Tuesday, May 31.

Branstad and Reynolds also toured the On With Life brain injury treatment center and made a brief stop at Hospice With Heart, also located in a cottage on the GRC campus.

Larry Raabe, a member of the Glen Haven Home Board of Directors, shared plans with Branstad for Glen Haven Village, which would replace the 52-year-old Glen Haven Home at 302 Sixth St. with a modern skilled care complex on the GRC campus. The new facility will be built among a cluster of  seven renovated cottages at the GRC where residents will receive skilled and rehabilitative care in a homelike setting. The $3 million facility will be capable of housing 75-80 residents. During his presentation, Raabe noted Glen Haven is a non-profit, community-based care facility.

Richard Crouch, a member of the Mills County Board of Supervisors, told Branstad Glen Haven Village would be a “great asset” to the community and GRC campus.

“We hope these houses are only the first ones,” Crouch said.
Branstad and Reynolds both said they’re impressed by the multiple-use facilities and community partnerships taking place on the GRC campus.

“There’s nothing like seeing things for yourself,” Branstad said. “We can make better decisions when we see things first hand.”

For Reynolds, the visit was her first to the campus and she came away impressed.

“It’s like a little community up here with all the different entities,” Reynolds said. “To see all this is very impressive.”

The visit by Branstad and Reynolds also provided Glenwood resident Sybil Finken with an opportunity to voice her strong support for the resource center and address the governor about the continued need for the specialized care the facility provides to people with profound disabilities, like her 37-year-old son, Seth, who has resided and been cared for at the GRC for most of his life.