Dear Supporters,

Thank you for joining the call to demand change at Albany Care, and in the state-regulated mental health care system in Illinois! As a result of your support and engagement, we have concrete progress to report, including:  

1,092 supporters and counting. This has been a true grassroots effort, without any media coverage of the campaign up to this point.

Engagement with representatives of Governor JB Pritzker and State Senator Laura Fine, and direct engagement with State Representative Robyn Gabel and her staff. That’s three of the four decision makers named in the petition.

A growing community coalition. This expanding group is gathering facts regarding the wellbeing of Albany Care residents; potential gaps in state regulatory oversight and transparency; and impacts on our shared community and local small businesses. This group is also seeking guidance from experts in addiction medicine, ensuring that our push for reform is based on patient-centered best practices.

In addition, we can share the following update:

Last week, IDPH placed Albany Care on a Level 5 restricted license, the same restriction placed on the facility in 2022. While under this restriction, Albany Care will not be able to admit new residents, and IDPH will step up its monitoring efforts.

These are encouraging steps. But they are early steps. We’ve been here before.

As the Daily Northwestern reported on November 14th, 2022: “In December 2021, the IDPH conducted a survey of Albany Care and issued the facility a Level 5 rating on Jan. 31 [2022]. That rating indicates substantial risk of death or serious physical or mental harm to a consumer.”

And yet, during that restricted period and afterward, the following incidents occurred, among others: Overdose deaths of Albany Care residents (9/6/22, 6/2/23); other resident deaths (7/9/22, 5/27/23); drug trafficking activity targeting Albany Care residents; the near-fatal stabbing of a resident by a former resident (8/17/23); the sexual assault and attempted assault (10/15/23); and frequent emergency calls to 911. 

What will make the difference this time?

You will. You are! Thanks to your support, we’re already seeing a broader spectrum of engagement from state officials. The success of this reform campaign will rely on sustained attention and improved transparency from these agencies, a holistic assessment of Albany Care’s operations and admissions processes, and scrutiny of potential gaps in state and local regulations.

What else can you do?

Keep sharing the petition! Please continue to get the word out via email, text, social media, and conversations with neighbors. (Donations have been appreciated, but they only go to promote the petition on Change.org. We're focused on gathering signatures and fostering direct engagement with local and state officials.)

Write a personal testimonial on the petition page! These posts offer compelling perspectives from family members of Albany Care residents, community members, and mental health care professionals, among others. Your voices speak volumes!

Report concerning incidents to IDPH via their hotline:


📞 1-800-252-4343
📧 https://dph.illinois.gov → “File a Complaint”

Offer advice! Do you have professional or personal experience in mental health care treatment, regulatory reform, addiction medicine, or another field you think might be helpful to this reform effort? Drop us a line at Fitzsimonsneighbors@gmail.com.

Read up! There’s a lot of information linked at the bottom of the petition. In addition, we believe the following articles and posts are worth attention:

Albany Care and Its Nine Affiliates — Not as Unprofitable as They Seem. A community member recently posted this deep-dive financial analysis on Reddit.

Illinois Nursing Homes Ranked Among the Worst in the Nation, Chicago Tribune, published July 7, 2025. This timely piece by Robert McCoppin reports on systemic issues among Illinois’ long-term care facilities.

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon Stalling Nursing Home Retaliation Bill, Advocates Claim, Chicago Sun-Times, published 12/11/24. As part of this story, Mitchell Armentrout reports on lobbying efforts by the Health Care Council of Illinois, whose PAC has donated more than $2 million to State Senator Don Harmon’s campaign since 2020.

Thank you again for your commitment, solidarity and compassion.