A former IVH employee surprisingly announces his departure on Friday

TR PHOTO BY LANA BRADSTREAM Wyatt Manship, a former social worker at the Iowa Veterans Home, organized and led the July 17 protest against a restructuring plan announced earlier that month and taken effect on August 15. Manship quit his job at the facility Friday and left with a speech on the campus emergency broadcast system.

Wyatt Manship, the organizer of the July 17 protest against the restructuring of the Iowa Veterans Home that eliminated some positions and reduced others from full-time to part-time, left his job at the state-run facility with a surprise announcement Friday morning.

Manship was a social worker and arrived at IVH to submit his resignation letter (see today’s Op-Ed page) and collect his personal belongings. He was accompanied by a friend and former IVH employee to film the events.

After Manship submitted the letter, he made the announcement via the public access system, which was audible throughout campus. Getting everyone’s attention, Manship asked everyone to stop and listen, making sure to identify themselves.

“We, the unwilling, led by the ignorant, do the impossible for the ungrateful,” he said. “We have done so much, for so long, with so little. We are not qualified to make anything out of nothing. »

Manship expressed his love for the employees, but said it was time for him to take a different path and said goodbye to them and the residents.

“I cannot in good conscience continue to stand idly by and witness the hostility, low morale and sheer ingratitude that the state and this administration demonstrate to both their employees and the veterans that we serve,” he said. “I will miss you with all my heart and soul. You are what makes this place great. Keep fighting the good fight. Organize, resist and vote against those who continue to silence you and take your freedoms. The injustice you tolerate, you also encourage. Residents and staff, united, hold the real power. Don’t let them fool you.

Manship also apologized to residents and staff offended by the July 17 protest and subsequent discussions.

He had written the speech and read it verbatim, right up to the end, which was spontaneous. Manship finished by wishing IVH Division Administrator/Licensed Nursing Home Administrator Penny Cutler-Bermudez and the employees who support her to “eat a bag of f****** d****.” Peace and taco grease. Lots of love. Catch yourself on the reverse side of the house slices. Caw caw, biznatches.

Residents and staff were clapping, he said.

“One of them said, ‘Go get them, Wyatt,'” Manship said. “I’m proud of it. I did what I had to do. I sent the message I wanted to send.

Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman Karl Lettow said the system is intended for general announcements and emergencies.

“They accessed the public address system, expressing obscene messages,” he said. “Many residents and staff have reported feeling disturbed and alarmed by this act. We do not tolerate this behavior, and intentional agitation by residents is a clear violation of the ethics of most healthcare professions.

Access to the sound system was easy, Manship said. All it took was a code.

After his goodbyes and after leaving campus, he had to stop and calm down because he was very anxious. His phone started “blowing up” and people were thanking him, Manship said.

He then learned that officers from the Marshalltown Police Department had been called to campus.

MPD Capt. Kiel Stevenson said he was notified by IVH of an upset employee who was on campus on his last day of work.

Manship contacted the department and met with officers at his home. According to Manship, the IVH administration treated the incident as a threat.

“I’m not accused of anything,” he said. “I received a warning that if I return to IVH I will be charged with trespassing. They treat me like I’m an active shooter and tell the cops I scared the locals. I didn’t see any residents scared. I am no threat. I didn’t do anything threatening of any kind. They’re trying to spin it.

Stevenson said he didn’t know what the threat might have been.

“They were afraid something would happen,” he said. “When we arrived, he had already left and there was no problem. We left and everything became peaceful again. We gave him a trespassing warning. He is no longer welcome there.

Lettow said MPD is taking all appropriate steps to ensure the disruptions do not happen again.

“A no entry order is issued,” he said. “Nothing else has been determined at this time. IVH operations have continued as normal and all residents and staff are currently safe.

Manship didn’t expect the response his show received.

“I know I wanted to spread hope and I wanted the chance to say goodbye,” he said. “I wanted to let them know to keep fighting. Ninety-nine percent of my message was love, except for the ending. »

With his job at IVH behind him, Manship said he’s going to focus on spending more time with his family, perhaps opening a business or buying and remodeling homes. He knows he wants to enjoy life with little stress and spend it in a caring environment. Manship added that he would have spent the next 10 years at IVH, but the layoffs announced in July were the final straw.

“My fight is over,” he said. “I can’t take it anymore. I give the watch to the people who remain.

Contact Lana Bradstream at 641-753-6611 ext. 210 or [email protected].