ANNA, Ill. (WSIL) -- Three administrators from Choate Mental Health now have new jobs outside the facility.
Sen. Terri Bryant (R-Murphysboro) sent a media release Friday night saying the Illinois Department of Human Services moved the three employees elsewhere. IDHS confirmed the change to News 3.
Bryant had previously .
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"While I appreciate that DHS has decided to remove these individuals from the Choate facility, I still passionately believe that there should be parity in the way staff is treated. Rank-and-file employees within Choate are put on leave without pay when an investigation is pursued or accusations are made. Yet, administrators within the very same facility continue to be paid and are allowed to work, just at a different facility. It is unacceptable," Bryant said.
"The reality is, until these allegations are thoroughly vetted, the proper and appropriate next step would be to remove the administrators from active employment pending judicial review. We must do everything in our power to ensure an honest and open investigation can take place and that justice is achieved," she added.
IDHS Communications Director Marisa Kollias sent the following statement in response to Bryant's release:
The safety and well-being of residents, patients, and staff guides everything that we do at the Choate Developmental Center and all IDHS facilities.
The Union County State’s Attorney’s Office brought charges against Bryant Davis, Teresa Smith, and Gary Goins alleging that they improperly accessed an internal investigatory file in violation of IDHS Inspector General protocol, with a separate, additional charge brought against Ms. Smith. Similar charges against her were previously brought and dismissed for a lack of probable cause by the court. The resulting public speculation has served as a distraction from the Center’s core and ongoing mission of caring for and supporting residents and patients. As a result, to best support the entire Choate Center community, Mr. Davis, Ms. Smith, and Mr. Goins are being reassigned from the facility today, until the judicial process yields new information or reaches a conclusion.
Highly qualified interim staff have been appointed to lead Choate on a temporary basis, working under the supervision of the overall leadership for the State’s seven Developmental Centers. The safety and well-being of residents, patients, and staff guides everything that we do at the Choate Developmental Center and all IDHS facilities. The Union County State’s Attorney’s Office brought charges against Bryant Davis, Teresa Smith, and Gary Goins alleging that they improperly accessed an internal investigatory file in violation of IDHS Inspector General protocol, with a separate, additional charge brought against Ms. Smith. Similar charges against her were previously brought and dismissed for a lack of probable cause by the court.
The resulting public speculation has served as a distraction from the Center’s core and ongoing mission of caring for and supporting residents and patients.
As a result, to best support the entire Choate Center community, Mr. Davis, Ms. Smith, and Mr. Goins are being reassigned from the facility today, until the judicial process yields new information or reaches a conclusion.  Highly qualified interim staff have been appointed to lead Choate on a temporary basis, working under the supervision of the overall leadership for the State’s seven Developmental Centers.
