Former IVH employee surprisingly announces departure on Friday | News, sports, work

TR PHOTO: LANA BRADSTREAM Former Iowa Veterans Home caseworker Wyatt Manship organized and led a July 17 protest against the restructuring plan, which was announced earlier this month and went into effect on August 15. Manship quit his job at the facility on Friday and left to speak over the campus emergency broadcast system.

Wyatt Manship, the organizer of a 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 facility Friday morning with a surprise announcement.

Manship was a social worker and came to IVH to resign (see today’s Op-Ed page) and collect his personal effects. He brought a friend and former IVH employee with him to videotape the events.

After submitting the letter, Manship made the announcement via a public access system that could be heard across campus. Gaining everyone’s attention, Manship asked everyone to stop and listen, making sure to introduce themselves.

“We, the reluctant, 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 incapable of making anything out of nothing.”

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

“I cannot in good conscience continue to stand by and witness the hostility, low morale and sheer ingratitude that the state and this administration have shown to both its employees and the veterans we serve,” he said. “I will miss you with all my heart and soul. You are what makes this place great. Keep up the good fight. Organize, resist and vote for those who continue to silence you and take away your freedoms. The injustice you tolerate, you also encourage. Residents and employees, who form one unit, have real power. Don’t let them deceive you.”

Manship also apologized to residents and staff who were offended by the July 17 protest and the discussions that followed.

He wrote down the speech and read it verbatim until the ending was unexpected. Manship ended it with a wish for IVH unit administrator/licensed nursing home administrator Penny Cutler-Bermudez and the staff supporting her to “eat a bag of damn shit. Peace and taco spread. Lots of love. I’ll catch you on the other side, homemade slices. Caw, caw, biznatches.

He added that residents and employees are cheering.

“One of them said, ‘Go get ’em, 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 gained access to the public address system and transmitted lewd messages,” he said. “Many residents and staff have reported feeling disturbed and disturbed by this act. We do not tolerate such behavior, and the deliberate agitation of residents is a clear violation of the ethics of most health care professions.”

Access to the public address system was easy, Manship said. The code was enough.

After saying goodbye and driving away from campus, he had to stop and calm down because he was very anxious. Manship said his phone started “blowing up” and people were thanking him.

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

MPD Captain Kiel Stevenson said IVH notified them of a distressed employee who was on campus on his last day of employment.

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 was warned that if I returned to IVH I would be charged with trespassing. They’re treating me like I’m an active shooter and telling the cops I scared the locals. I didn’t see any terrified residents. I’m not a threat. I didn’t do anything to be threatening. They’re trying to spin it.”

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

“They were afraid something might happen,” he said. “When we got there, he had already left and there was no problem. We left and everything returned to peace. We gave him a trespass warning. He is no longer welcome there.”

Lettow said MPD is taking all appropriate measures to ensure the disruption does not happen again.

“A ban has been issued to enter the facility,” he said. “Nothing further 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 reaction his broadcast received.

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

Manship said that now that he has worked at IVH, he will focus on spending more time with his family, perhaps opening a business or purchasing and remodeling homes. He knows he wants to enjoy life without stress and spend it in a caring environment. Manship added that he would have spent another 10 years at IVH, but the layoffs announced in July were the last straw.

“My fight is over,” he said. “I can’t do this anymore. I’m giving the watch back to those who remained.”

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