The Illinois Department of Human Services has announced major changes at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center in Anna.

In a letter to staff dated Thursday, the agency outlined plans to reduce residential units serving people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and to phase down mental‑health beds.

Forensic developmental‑disability operations will continue at the facility.

The department thanked employees for their dedication and said it will work to support staff affected by the transition.

State Senator Terri Bryant is sharply criticizing the state’s plan to make major staffing and operational changes at Choate. The Murphysboro Republican says the decision will cost southern Illinois hundreds of jobs and force vulnerable patients to relocate.

Bryant called the announcement “a devastating blow to Southern Illinois,” saying families and employees “deserve far better than this.”

She says she has repeatedly urged the state to keep Choate’s services in the region and is disappointed those efforts were ignored. Bryant argues the people who rely on the facility should be treated as individuals, not “numbers on a spreadsheet.”