ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — A state review board has approved the closure of a mental health facility in Rockford.
The Rockford Register Star reports (http://bit.ly/Pjvk58) the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board voted 5-3 on Wednesday to close Singer Mental Health Center. The vote came despite a staff report prepared for the board that found closing Singer will have a negative impact on chronic mental illness services in the region.
Gov. Pat Quinn has signed off on plans to close the center this fall in a cost-cutting move.
The Illinois Department of Human Services plans to stop new admissions to Singer on Oct. 1 and wants to close the facility by Oct. 31.
The department plans instead to spend $4.8 million from November through June to create the Northwest Crisis Care System.
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Information from: Rockford Register Star, http://www.rrstar.com
