Employees, union members, local officials and community supporters gathered Tuesday in downtown Anna to protest the State of Illinois’ plan to reduce services and eliminate hundreds of jobs at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center.
The Illinois Department of Human Services has announced plans to eliminate Choate’s developmental disabilities program, phase out its 75 civil mental health beds and cut about 250 positions by March 2027.
Governor JB Pritzker has defended the restructuring, saying staffing reductions are tied to the relocation of residents from the developmental disabilities program and that the greatest need for civil mental health beds is now in northern Illinois.
Protesters argued Southern Illinois already faces a shortage of mental health services and warned the cuts would reduce access to care while impacting one of Union County’s largest employers.
State Senator Paul Jacobs and State Representative Scott Doody attended the rally in support of Choate employees and called on the state to reconsider the plan.
Choate currently employs more than 500 people, and opponents say they will continue advocating to reverse the proposed changes before they are scheduled to take effect in March 2027.