DES MOINES – Today, Governor Reynolds appointed Gerd W. Clabaugh to serve as interim director of the Department of Human Services. He will continue to serve as director of the Department of Public Health until a permanent DHS director is named.
“Gerd has done an incredible job at the Department of Public Health and is well positioned to lead the Department of Human Services,” said Gov. Reynolds. “He will play a very important role in implementing my vision for an integrated, compassionate, and coordinated health care system.”
Gerd Clabaugh has served as the director of the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) since 2014. Clabaugh has served in many capacities within IDPH, including deputy director, director of health promotion and chronic disease prevention, director of acute disease epidemiology and emergency response. During the early 1990s, he served as director of the center for health policy. Clabaugh has Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Political Science and Economics from Drake University, a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from Iowa State University, and Doctoral Studies in Health Management and Policy from the University of Iowa.
news.drake.edu
Clabaugh replaces Jerry Foxhoven, who resigned effective today.
Iowa Senate Democrats hit back with a statement:
“The Governor needs to immediately launch a nationwide search for a new Director of the Department of Human Services who is truly committed to watching out for the most vulnerable children and adults in Iowa.
“This means finding an advocate who will fight for more resources, push for stronger policies, and ensure that those policies are enforced for the betterment of all Iowans.
“After years of mismanagement and neglect by Governor Reynolds and legislative Republicans, Iowans deserve a new Director with the backbone necessary to put quality care and proper oversight ahead of special interests.
“The damage they’ve done to Iowans includes:
– Creating and supporting a privatized Medicaid system that is unsustainable, unaffordable and unaccountable. It’s so bad that the federal government has launched an investigation into whether officials in Iowa and other states are providing sufficient and appropriate oversight to ensure that people with Medicaid are receiving the care to which they are entitled.
– Decimating the state’s successful family planning network, resulting in more unintended pregnancies, more risky births, more teenage mothers.
– Inadequately funding mental health services for children and adults.
– Allowing dangerous practices and procedures at Glenwood, Eldora and other at state-operated facilities.
“Finally, it’s especially bad news for Medicaid recipients, health care providers and Iowa taxpayers that the Governor’s Director is leaving (a) in the middle of negotiations with both out-of-state managed care organizations (MCO) and (b) when hundreds of thousands of Iowans are two weeks away from transitioning to a new MCO.”
Besides the medical part of this for Iowans, what about the Iowans that are getting their children removed from these DHS workers out of Des Moines Iowa, that have provided nothing but perjury,have shown defamation of character, have taken our constitutional rights from us, and most of all have taken our lives. We the people that have gone through this are the VOICES for these little children that can’t speak, that are being hurt, that are being taken from good homes with no PHYSICAL EVIDENCE, but by hearsay evidence. What happened to the Laws that are to be abided by? I am going through this and have till August, DHS system hasn’t helped me, I have been told by the BAR association, the General Attorneys Office and many more that they can’t help me! I have been stripped from my child’s life because of revenge and DHS and others of the Iowa system have not helped me nor listened to me when i have the physical evidence to prove that THE SYSTEM IS USELESS. they only care about the money coming in, and not the children or families that need the help. They rather take from the unbroken families and make them broken. Hoping FOR A MORE EDUCATED, LAW ABIDING, TRUTHFUL, FAMILY ORIENTED, AND A MORE SUPPORTIVE DIRECRIR FOR DHS, for the families that have not been heard,and most of all, FOR THE CHILDREN that need to be HEARD! TO FIRE THE DHS WORKERS THAT HAVE DESTROYED FAMILIES! Until we get a new director, Administrative Hearing and the Media are next to help! I have no faith in our system until justice has been served! God please help this system, as it is broken and needs someone who can build it back up. To bring back our children who have been kidnapped from the system. To save the children who need the help and the families who need rebuilt. Please soften the hearts of the government and the governor/leaders of this state, and the whole world, for I have tried to seek the help from the Des Moines system with NO response or have been turned away. For I am a victim of this system. I need to be heard and so do millions of others out there! Let us be heard! Amen.
Is this something like a local hospital cannot get an ambulance (24 hours) to take them to Mayo in Rochester for emergency treatment (specialist) – How many ambulances does Mr. Johnson and the local fire dept. have -The patient is then rescued – flown to Rochester by the local flight service at a cost of $53,000.00 dollars -that’s $1000.00 per minute loaded – talk about a SCAM ! Whos in the hell can afford this? I would say it’s a ripoff to medicare/taxpayers and also insurance companies- If they could not treat/cure the medical procedure why were they held there for 2 days and not transferred sooner by lower cost hiway vehicle ????