ANNA, Ill. (IRN) — After disturbing allegations have come out against employees of a southern Illinois mental health facility, Illinois lawmakers are calling for legislative hearings.
Choate Mental Health and Development Center is a state-run facility for those with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities located in Anna, Illinois.
According to a report published by ProPublica, more than 1,500 incidents of abuse and neglect were reported over the last decade. Allegations include a patient having his arm broken by a worker and accusations of making patients dig through feces.
The Office of the Inspector General for the Illinois Department of Human Services reported a cover-up culture in which employees would collude with each other and provide false information to investigators about the incidents at the facility.
“Of great concern is that OIG regularly sees instances where facility or agency staff seek to protect each other from the consequences of their misconduct by remaining silent about what they witnessed or lying to protect their fellow employees,” the OIG 2022 annual report said.
The OIG said at least 8 Choate staff “actively colluded to obstruct criminal and administrative investigations of the abuse, including by lying to law enforcement officials, to cover up the beating of an individual.”
Multiple staff failed to report the abuse they witnessed, the OIG said, although the individual’s injuries “were what multiple witnesses described as the worst injuries they had seen.”
In Springfield Thursday, state Rep. Paul Jacobs, R-Pomona, said support is growing for a public hearing on the matter.
“Last Friday, Feb. 17, every member of the House Republican Caucus and every member of the Senate Republican Caucus signed on to a letter to respectfully urge that a joint bicameral hearing of the House and Senates Health and Human Services Committee and Health and Human Services Appropriations Committee, be convened immediately to provide critical oversight into these disturbing Inspector General reports,” Jacobs said.
State Sen. Dale Fowler, R-Harrisburg, said their request has the support of Republican and Democratic lawmakers.
“Let me be clear, the issues at Choate are not partisan issues,” Fowler said. “While there are only Republicans standing with us here today, there are many in this building who care deeply about these residents.”
Gov. J.B. Pritzker said if things are not fixed at Choate, he will look to close the facility.
“Look, there is no doubt that there are continuing issues at Choate,” Pritzker said last week at an unrelated event. “If those continue as I say, we can not keep it open.”
Pritzker partially blamed the problems on a lack of qualified employees.
“Think about what is going on in Illinois and across the nation right now, which is we have many, many more job openings than we have people who are available to do those jobs,” Pritzker said. “Then think about whether you need people who are trained for a job, and at a developmental disabilities facility, you sure do need training. So these are the challenges we are currently going through.”
The OIG report shows in 2022 there were 84 reports of physical abuse, nine reports of sexual abuse, 39 reports of mental abuse, two reports of financial exploitation, 25 cases of neglect and three deaths.
According to budget documents, Choate Mental Health received more than $4.6 million in life and safety improvements between fiscal year 2022 and 2023.
By ANDREW HENSEL for the Illinois Radio Network