* WSIU…

The Illinois Department of Human Services has announced major changes at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna.

In a letter to staff dated Thursday, the agency outlined plans to reduce residential units serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to phase down mental‑health beds.

Forensic developmental‑disability operations will continue at the facility.

* Excerpts from the letter…

With the completion of the Choate transformation, there is less need for residential units to serve the intellectual and developmental disabilities general population at Choate. Because of this change, operations for the intellectual and developmental disabilities general units will end by September 30, 2026.

Another change for Choate operations is the need for mental health beds. The need for mental health beds is greater in Northern Illinois. To align service needs with state facility capacity, we will be phasing down the 75 civil mental health beds at Choate and adding civil beds at Madden Mental Health Center. The phase down is planned to be complete by March 2027.

The 40-bed forensic developmental disabilities unit will continue operations, as will the other IDHS administrative offices on the Choate campus. […]

We will work with our labor partners to support employees. This includes working closely with directly impacted staff who may be subject to the contractual layoff process so that those who wish to continue to serve may be offered opportunities at other State-operated facilities or other State employment.

* Sen. Bryant…

State Senator Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) issued the following statement following the announcement of significant staffing and operational changes at the Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna:

“This is a devastating blow to Southern Illinois. The state’s decision will cost our region hundreds of jobs, uproot vulnerable patients, and create chaos for families and employees who deserve far better than this.

“I have consistently advocated for Choate to continue serving our most vulnerable residents here in Southern Illinois, and I am disappointed to see those calls ignored through this announcement.

“Southern Illinois cannot afford to lose hundreds of jobs, and the people who depend on Choate deserve to be treated as individuals, not numbers on a spreadsheet.”

…Adding… AFSCME Council 31…

Today the Illinois Department of Human Services announced that it will be ending most operations at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna, IL, where workers are represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31.

For the past three years, IDHS has been steadily reducing available beds for individuals with developmental disabilities. While some of those impacted were placed with nonprofit disability agencies, most were moved to IDHS facilities throughout the state.

Choate serves a vital function in the Illinois Department of Human Services’ system of care for individuals with severe developmental disabilities or mental illness, including those who have been found guilty by reason of insanity or unfit to stand trial in criminal cases.

Now the department is planning to close all the beds at Choate that serve individuals with mental illness who have committed crimes, served their time and are preparing for release. That unit would be moved to Madden Mental Health Center in the Chicago metro area, which does not currently serve a forensic population.

In all, the department said it intends to lay off some 250 Choate employees over the coming months.

“AFSCME strongly objects to IDHS’s ill-conceived plan,” said AFSCME Council 31 Executive Director Roberta Lynch. “The department should have consulted with our union to develop a more rational plan that would be fairer to Choate’s employees and the individuals in their care. Unfortunately, the department chose to forge ahead with a plan which will weaken services for the most vulnerable mentally ill individuals and upend the lives of hundreds of Choate employees and their families.

“During the recent legislative session, the Pritzker administration assured our union that the proposed FY 2027 budget would not include any layoffs,” Lynch continued. “Had we been aware of the planned layoffs, we certainly would have opposed the budget as introduced.”

IDHS points to job openings at other downstate mental health facilities to which Choate employees could transfer. However, those jobs would require extensive travel—as much as four hours daily—for many employees. That kind of travel time is especially dangerous in a department like this one where employees are routinely required to work several hours of overtime on any given day.

“The AFSCME collective bargaining agreement with the State of Illinois includes well-defined rights for employees slated for layoff and AFSCME intends to ensure that all such requirements are fully met if the department continues down this irresponsible path,” Lynch said.

…Adding…IDHS…

As part of Governor JB Pritzker’s vision for transformational change within the state’s support system for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) – operations at the Choate Developmental Center will be reduced.

The decision to reduce the services provided on the Choate campus was made following careful review of state-operated facilities, declining census in State Operated Developmental Centers (SODCs), increasing interest in community living arrangements, and changing service delivery needs across the state.

This decision aligns with the state’s commitment to reducing institutionalization across Illinois, enabling individuals to live in the least restrictive environment of their choice.

The census across Illinois’ seven SODCs is 1,413, as of July 17, 2026, down from 1,639 in March 2023 when the Governor’s transformation plan began. Choate’s general census of individuals with I/DD went from 199 in March 2023, to the 16 general census persons with I/DD there today.

In addition, there are 75 IDHS Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery beds at Choate, which will be phased down by March 2027, while capacity at the Madden Mental Health Center increases.

The 40-bed Forensic program will continue to operate at Choate.

IDHS, in partnership with CMS Labor Relations, will work with the labor partners representing the affected employees through the contractual layoff process to offer employment opportunities to Choate staff impacted by the change in operations, including opportunities at other state operated facilities, with the overall goal of limiting impact to affected staff.

For affected staff, there are available downstate vacancies across the system at state-operated facilities, including Murray, Chester, and Alton. These centers are expanding capacity and adding new positions to the Southern Illinois community.