Gov. J.B. Pritzker's administration announced Thursday that it will lay off workers and sharply scale back operations at the Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna, a move union leaders say will cost hundreds of jobs and upend care for people with serious mental illness and developmental disabilities. The decision follows years of state reviews and media reporting into safety failures at the rural facility.
State plan and immediate changes
The Illinois Department of Human Services says it will reduce operations at Choate and phase down a block of about 75 behavioral health beds, with that phase down slated for March, while keeping a 40-bed forensic unit on campus. The facility had roughly 523 staff as of July 1, and the number of residents has dropped sharply, to the teens, according to reporting by Chicago Tribune.
Years of documented abuse and probes
The restructuring comes after a string of investigative reports and internal reviews that documented hundreds of abuse and neglect allegations over the past decade, along with dozens of criminal probes into employee conduct. State files and reporting described repeated oversight failures that helped fuel a broader push to shrink institutional care in favor of smaller community settings, as detailed by ProPublica and partner outlets.
Union: workers and services on the chopping block
AFSCME Council 31 says the administration’s plan will result in roughly 250 job losses and the end of most operations at Choate, a shift the union warns will weaken services for vulnerable residents and devastate the local economy. Executive Director Roberta Lynch said the decision "will upend the lives of hundreds of Choate employees and their families," and the union has filed a demand to negotiate over the workforce changes, according to Chicago Tribune.
Local lawmakers and families push back
Republican state Sen. Terri Bryant, whose district borders Anna, has warned that the shift will cost the region hundreds of jobs and uproot patients who have lived at Choate for years. Families and local officials are pressing for clearer timelines and placement plans for both residents and staff, as reported by Capitol News Illinois.
What’s next for residents and the region
State officials say they will work with Southern Illinois University’s School of Medicine and community providers on transitions and campus repurposing while preserving specialized psychiatric and forensic services in targeted units. The Illinois Department of Human Services describes a multiphase transformation that includes workforce retraining, safety upgrades and recommendations to move more people into home- and community-based settings, according to the agency’s plan outlined by the Illinois Department of Human Services.
Union leaders and several southern Illinois lawmakers have signaled legal and political fights ahead as communities seek concrete answers about placements and staffing. This story will be updated as officials release implementation timelines and additional details.
