DES MOINES, IOWA (June 23, 2008) – The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA) will be conducting a series of training sessions to acquaint long-term care providers with a new, Internet-based tool for reporting potential abuse and other reportable incidents. The Department’s web-based incident reporting tool is designed for use by DIA-regulated health care facilities to report allegations of abuse, incidents, and other occurrences to the Department as required by state law and/or federal regulation. The focus of the training sessions will be to teach facility staff how to access the self-reporting tool, how to use the form, and how to access the Department response to the reported event.

The training sessions will be taught at community colleges throughout Iowa, with the first session scheduled for July 14th at the Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny. In order to register for the training, individuals must contact the appropriate college at the telephone number provided below. Each training session will begin at 1 p.m., and will last approximately two hours. Staff from DIA’s Health Facilities Division is conducting the training session and be available to answer participants’ questions.

Training sessions are currently scheduled for the following locations:

July 14: Des Moines Area Community College, Ankeny
Course Number: 33107
Telephone Number: (515) 964-6800

July 31: Hawkeye Community College, Waterloo
Course Number: To Be Determined
Telephone Number: (319) 296-2460

August 4: Western Iowa Technical College, Sioux City
Course Number: CNUR-1206-01
Telephone Number: (712) 274-6404

August 14: Eastern Iowa Community College, Davenport
Course Number: 54106
Telephone Number: (563)441-4100

Note: When registering for a course, individuals should be prepared to provide their name, address, social security number, and date of birth.