State Senators Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) and Paul Jacobs (R-Pomona) issued the following statement in response to the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) announcement that it will retain 25 inpatient psychiatric beds at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna:
“We appreciate that IDHS is recognizing the importance of maintaining mental health services at Choate rather than eliminating them. However, keeping just 25 of the facility’s 75 psychiatric beds is still wholly inadequate and falls far short of meeting the mental health needs of Southern Illinois.
“SIU Medicine’s own study recommended expanding psychiatric services at Choate, not cutting them. While this announcement is a step in the right direction, it is not enough. Southern Illinois families deserve access to mental health treatment close to home, and the dedicated employees at Choate deserve a commitment to preserving these important services.”