The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) says 156 new psychiatric treatment beds are opening at two other state facilities as the department moves forward with plans to reduce inpatient psychiatric services at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna.
The additional information comes after IDHS withdrew an application that would have eliminated all 75 inpatient psychiatric beds at Choate. However, the department still plans to reduce the facility’s psychiatric capacity from 75 beds to 25, a reduction of approximately 67 percent.
Daisy Contreras, Deputy Director of Communications for IDHS, confirmed to WFIW News that as Choate’s psychiatric hospital scales down to 25 beds, the state is adding 100 psychiatric beds at Alton Mental Health Center and another 56 at Chester Mental Health Center.
Contreras said the additional beds are part of changes taking place across Illinois’ mental health system. The department also confirmed that Choate’s remaining 25 psychiatric beds will continue operating beyond July 2027.
The update follows an announcement Tuesday, October 20, by Union County State’s Attorney Tyler Tripp, who filed a lawsuit in September seeking to prevent the removal of treatment beds at the Southern Illinois facility.
Tripp welcomed the state’s decision to withdraw its original application to eliminate the entire psychiatric unit but expressed concern that reducing Choate’s capacity by two-thirds would still negatively affect access to inpatient mental health treatment throughout Southern Illinois.
Tripp pointed to growing demand for psychiatric services, including individuals being held in county jails while awaiting court-ordered admission to state treatment facilities.
While IDHS says additional psychiatric beds are being made available at Alton and Chester, Tripp maintains that preserving more treatment capacity at Choate is necessary to serve Southern Illinois residents.
The state’s plans also involve changes to services for individuals with developmental disabilities.
According to Tripp’s office, IDHS continues to plan the removal of up to 15 additional beds serving individuals with developmental disabilities. Tripp has expressed concern about how those reductions could affect access to emergency treatment.
However, IDHS has confirmed that Choate’s 40 forensic beds for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities will remain operational. Those beds are separate from the psychiatric unit and other developmental disability services facing reductions.
Tripp filed his lawsuit on September 8, challenging the state’s plans to reduce services at Choate. His office previously reported that legal challenges had pushed the anticipated removal of services from March to June 2027.
Although the state has withdrawn its request to close Choate’s entire psychiatric unit, the dispute over the remaining proposed reductions continues.
IDHS maintains that the expansion of psychiatric treatment capacity at Alton and Chester is an important part of the broader changes to the state’s mental health system, while Tripp continues to advocate for maintaining additional beds at Choate to meet the needs of Southern Illinois residents.