Representative calling on southern Ill. residents to sign petition for Choate Mental Health Center

ANNA, Ill. (Heartland News) - Illinois Representative Scott Doody is calling on everyone in southern Illinois to help save the Choate Mental Health Center in Anna.

The state announced plans to lay off employees and relocate dozens of patients at the facility. The changes are part of Governor JB Pritzker’s plan, which began in 2023, to transform care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Union leaders say the proposed layoffs could affect about 250 employees, which is nearly half of the facility’s workforce.

Doody is asking anyone who is against the closure to add their name to his petition.

“We’re making it clear that closing this facility will harm vulnerable Illinoisans, devastate our local workforce, and weaken communities across our region,” he said.

According to the IDHS website, Choate was founded in 1869 and formally opened for patients in 1873 in Anna, Illinois.