Illinois Lays Off 524 Workers at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center

NewsData.io · United States · Aug 31, 2026

The Illinois Department of Human Services is eliminating approximately 524 positions — half the staff — at the Choate Mental Health and Development Center in Southern Illinois as the state scales down the facility and shifts patients toward community-based living arrangements. Gov. Pritzker framed the reductions as part of a broader plan to repurpose the campus in partnership with Southern Illinois University. Republican legislators and disability advocates are pushing back, citing concerns about patient safety in privately operated community facilities and alleged violations of federal placement-choice law. The layoffs signal continued workforce contraction in state-operated behavioral health and developmental disability care, a sector where staffing agencies often supply direct-support and clinical personnel.