Why It Matters
The restructuring at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna, Illinois, will eliminate hundreds of state jobs and end residential services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities — changes with direct consequences for a vulnerable patient population and a workforce community in southern Illinois.
What Happened
The Illinois Department of Human Services announced Thursday that Choate will lay off roughly 250 of its approximately 524 employees over the coming months as part of a broader operational overhaul. The facility’s entire general residential program for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities will be eliminated, with operations in those units set to cease by September 30.
Simultaneously, IDHS will phase down 75 civil mental health beds at the facility, with that process scheduled for completion by March 2027. The agency said demand for mental health beds is greater in northern Illinois, and some capacity will shift to Madden Mental Health Center in Chicago. A 40-bed forensic developmental disabilities unit at Choate will remain in operation.
The changes are part of a three-year plan to repurpose the facility in partnership with Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. Governor JB Pritzker first announced a transformation initiative in March 2023, which aimed to move about 123 residents into community placements, family homes, or other state-operated facilities.
By the Numbers
- ~250 employees facing layoffs out of a total workforce of 524
- 468 Choate employees are members of AFSCME Council 31
- 75 civil mental health beds to be phased down by March 2027
- 58 general and forensic I/DD patients currently served at the facility
- 16 residents remain in the general developmental disabilities program, down from 199 at the start of the transformation
A Facility With a Troubled History
Choate has been the subject of serious scrutiny for years. A 2022 investigative report found that residents had been beaten, sexually assaulted, humiliated, and dangerously neglected at the facility over roughly a decade. At least 26 employees have since been arrested on felony charges connected to their conduct there.
Problems persisted even after the transformation plan was announced. In February 2024, security footage captured an employee throwing a resident to the floor and punching him — an incident that went unreported for 11 days.
The population in Choate’s general developmental disabilities program declined sharply as the state began moving residents out: from 199 at the start of the process to just 16 currently. The facility now serves 58 general and forensic I/DD patients and 75 mental health patients.
Labor Opposition
AFSCME Council 31, which represents 468 of Choate’s employees, pushed back sharply against the announcement. Executive Director Roberta Lynch said 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.”
The union’s objection centers on both the impact to workers in a region where state employment carries significant economic weight and the potential consequences for patients depending on state psychiatric care in southern Illinois. The consolidation of beds northward to Madden in Chicago raises concerns about access for residents and families in the southern part of the state.
What’s Next
The general I/DD residential program ends September 30, and IDHS will continue phasing down mental health beds through March 2027. The long-term repurposing of the Choate campus in partnership with SIU School of Medicine has not yet been detailed publicly. Affected employees and union representatives are expected to engage in further negotiations over the terms of the layoffs in the weeks ahead.
Illinois state government has faced broader scrutiny in recent months over institutional transparency. Governor Pritzker has separately called for greater accountability from legislative leadership in handling allegations tied to other state employees, reflecting ongoing pressure over how the administration manages personnel and oversight across state institutions.