* Capitol News Illinois, Lee Enterprises and ProPublica last month…
The findings about Choate administrators are particularly notable because Pritzker’s administration decided to retain the facility’s top three administrators in March when announcing a plan to reduce the size of Choate and move some residents to community settings or other state-run facilities.
All three administrators were previously indicted on felony charges in connection with their handling of an abuse allegation at the facility. Facility Director Bryant Davis and Gary Goins, who has served as quality assurance and improvements director, were both charged with official misconduct in 2021. Assistant Director Teresa Smith was charged twice with official misconduct and obstruction of justice, in 2020 and 2021. A judge dismissed the first case, finding there was not probable cause to sustain the charge. The prosecutor dismissed the most recent charges against the three administrators. Smith, Goins and Davis did not respond to requests for comment.
In explaining her rationale for keeping the administrators, IDHS Secretary Grace Hou said in March: “We’ve weighed a lot of different perspectives, but I think we need a leader who knows Choate inside and out, who has relationships with the residents and the parents and the staff to lead us through this challenging transition.” Pritzker publicly backed Hou’s decision at the time.
* Illinois Department of Human Services today…
“I am pleased to share that, effective August 16, Stephany Hoehner will serve as the Director of the Choate Mental Health Developmental Center (CMHDC). Hoehner, who currently serves as CMHDC Project Manager, brings with her a wealth of knowledge in continuous quality improvement and operational management. Prior to joining CMHDC, Stephany served as Continuous Improvement Specialist and Practice Manager at Southern Illinois Healthcare in Carbondale where she was responsible for leading daily operations, financial stewardship, change management, and continuous improvement. She has already proved to be a valuable team member assisting in quality assurance, investigations, training, and data analysis at CMHDC. I have the utmost confidence in Stephany’s leadership and know that she will be integral in creating positive, transformative change at Choate. I would like to extend my gratitude to Bryant Davis who has served as Facility Director of CMHDC for the past six years. He will provide ongoing support to Choate during a one-month transition period.” Tonya Piephoff, Director for IDHS’ Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD)
“As a native of southern Illinois, I consider Choate to be foundational and instrumental to the betterment of our community. Words cannot express how grateful I am for the opportunity to serve the residents, their families, and staff. As we focus on improving safety, enhancing services, quality of care, and building relationships, I’m excited for the future of Choate.” Stephany Hoehner, incoming CMHDC Director
*** UPDATE *** DHS…
Bryant Davis will no longer work at Choate following a one-month transition period. At this time we are not able to share anything beyond that. Gary Goins and Theresa Smith are employed at Choate as certified State employees in accordance with personnel code and rules.
