Choate to stay open after lawsuit, new bills filed
(The Center Square) – An Illinois state representative says the attempted closure of Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center shows that the Illinois Department of Human Services is failing vulnerable residents and taxpayers.
Union County State’s Attorney Tyler Tripp announced on Tuesday that IDHS withdrew its request for closure application to shut down Choate.
State Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, filed four bills last Thursday aimed at protecting Choate residents and jobs.
“Very long I’ve said that DHS is mismanaged, and they didn’t even realize that they couldn’t shut it and shut those beds down like they were planning,” Meier told The Center Square.
Meier said the department had to prove there’s no need for hospital beds at Choate before closing it.
“They spent about $30 million on Choate, then they announced they’re going to basically close most of it. How smart is that for the Illinois taxpayer?” Meier said.
House Bill 5825 restricts further bed reductions at state-operated facilities for people with developmental disabilities.
“It’s saying you have to abide by the law. This is just enforcing it. They can’t take somebody from an SODC site and say they don’t need these services when they really do,” Meier said.
Meier also filed legislation allowing Choate to receive temporary admissions for certain defendants and readmissions at state-operated developmental centers.
House Bill 5823 would require IDHS to pay sheriffs who provide housing and mental health services for defendants if the agency does not place them after 20 days.
IDHS did not immediately respond to The Center Square’s request for comment.
According to Tripp, the IDHS decision on Choate came in response to his lawsuit seeking an injunction against closure.
AFSCME Local 31 also sued and named Gov. J.B. Pritzker, IDHS and IDHS Secretary Dulce Quintero as defendants.
Homer “Chip” Markel is the Democratic candidate challenging Republican state Rep. Scott Doody in House District 118.
“I’m glad to hear the lawsuits worked in a sense. That’s still not good enough. Cutting the beds at Choate is still unacceptable,” Markel told The Center Square.
Tripp said IDHS plans to reduce the number of mental health beds at Choate from 75 to 25 and also plans to remove up to 15 more beds serving people with developmental disabilities.
Markel said he would work to keep Choate as it is or expand services.
“One of the things I’ve found out is the worst thing you can do for a patient is to disrupt their normal routine,” Markel said.
IDHS has also faced criticism over Illinois’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program error rate of 14.67%, which is higher than all but four other states.
If the rate doesn’t improve, Illinois taxpayers will be on the hook for more than $700 million.
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