EFE Calls for Closure of Choate

Time and again, large institutional settings have lacked appropriate care and fostered abuse and neglect.

Equip for Equality called on the state to close the nonforensic units of the Clyde L. Choate Developmental Center (Choate), Illinois' southernmost state-run institution. Choate is located in Anna, Ill., and currently houses approximately 200 people with disabilities. Equip for Equality's Abuse Investigation Unit conducted an extensive investigation of the facility, which included more than 200 hours of on-site observations throughout the facility on different days and various times from April through December of 2004, and the examination of hundreds of pages of relevant material, including medical and treatment records, restraint records and state agency investigative reports.

Choate was originally constructed in the late 1800s as the Anna State Hospital. While picturesque in its rural setting, the serious problems at Choate depict an institution that is in sharp contrast with its setting. The Investigation Unit documented a long-standing pattern of significant failures and mistreatment of residents.

The Investigation Unit's examination found that Choate repeatedly failed to monitor medication, to closely supervise individuals at risk of harming themselves, to implement plans to ensure safety, and to maintain a functioning emergency call system. For example, in April of last year, an individual started choking on a meatball. Responding to the crisis, individuals attempted to activate Choate's Code Blue emergency response system, which malfunctioned. The doctor, who was in an office only 30 feet away, did not receive the page. By the time he arrived, it was too late, and the individual had died. Read the Full Article...

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