Dear Supporters,

We’re continuing to build on the energy and attention you've given to this campaign for lasting change at Albany Care, and for statewide reform to the regulations that govern Specialized Mental Health Rehabilitation Facilities (SMHRFs) in Illinois. We're grateful for all you've done and continue to do, including sharing this petition with your neighbors; offering your insights, expertise, personal experiences and platforms; and shining a steady light on an issue we believe has too often been obscured.

As the state assesses the current situation at Albany Care, and as this group's advocacy efforts continue, we have a couple of interim updates to share:

Albany Care remains on a restricted license. They have contested this decision and are reportedly now engaged in litigation with the state.

In May of 2022, during Albany Care’s previous Level 5 restriction, Albany Care Inc. filed a summons for discovery in the Circuit Court of Cook County, naming the City of Evanston, Mayor Daniel Biss, and the Illinois Department of Public Health, among others. (The header image is taken from this filing.) The filing was not a lawsuit in and of itself, but could be construed as the precursor to a possible lawsuit. The State contested the filing and the summons was eventually dismissed. In late 2022, Albany Care reached a settlement with the State, which restored their full operating license.
Neither the terms of that settlement, nor Albany Care's accepted plan of correction, were disclosed. 

There is precedent for the public release of a plan of correction: A previous plan of correction for Albany Care, one bearing a survey completion date of 11/29/2010, is available online. We have asked that the terms of the 2022 settlement, which we believe are clearly in the public interest, be released to the public in full. This information is relevant for several reasons: 1) It provides vital transparency for agreements between state agencies and private companies that receive taxpayer funds for providing state-regulated healthcare; 2) It allows state agencies and public stakeholders to assess the extent of Albany Care's compliance with the previous settlement; 3) It helps agencies and stakeholders determine whether the parameters of the previous settlement were sufficient in scope to address documented problems at Albany Care at the time; 4) It offers guidance for agencies and stakeholders to ensure that current efforts are successful in addressing the complete range of documented incidents and issues still occurring at Albany Care.

In a previous update to this petition, we disclosed previously unreported information about the deaths of two Albany Care residents during the 2022 period of restricted licensure, as well as two additional deaths during the first six months of 2023. We believe these events raise reasonable questions about the effectiveness of the previous restriction to address the broader spectrum of issues at Albany Care. To achieve lasting change -- to make sure that history doesn't repeat itself -- we believe the State must be candid and transparent about the scope and outcome of past actions.

Through a FOIA request, we have received new data concerning the number of police and EMS responses to Albany Care during 2025. This data only reflects responses to Albany Care itself, not Albany Care-related responses to other locations such as Grey Park or the surrounding neighborhood. 

Here’s what the latest data shows: 

Between January 1st and June 15th, 2025, there were at least 364 police responses to Albany Care. This number includes, among other cited reasons: “missing persons*," “harassment,” “sex offense investigation,” “drug overdose,” “drug related,” “disorderly conduct,” “disturbance,” “voluntary committal,”” involuntary committal,” “battery,” “theft”, “warrant service,” “ambulance,” ambulance — CPR,” and “check wellbeing.” This number excludes canceled calls, dedicated patrols, and the  “activities of EPD's Special Operations Group, which has conducted several long-term operations resulting in the arrests of of drug dealers trafficking to Albany Care residents. 

(*For police responses logged as "missing person," each occurrence is listed with a unique event ID, one event per person. So there are frequent instances of multiple "missing person" events on a single day, reflecting multiple individuals who did not return to Albany Care by the required time and were then reported missing to police.)
 
Between January 1st and August 10th, 2025, there were 71 calls to EMS coded as incident type 321, defined as an “EMS call excluding vehicle with injury.” This number does not include other types of EMS calls to Albany Care, such as “police matter,” “unintentional alarm,” or “malicious, mischievous false calls.”

When analyzing the volume of calls to Albany Care over time, it’s important to note that Albany Care’s total number of residents has decreased over the past two years, after the State initiated new occupancy requirements limiting room sharing to two residents. To offset this change, officials approved higher payment rates to Albany Care and other SMHRF operators. 

As the data show, Albany Care’s operations continue to have a significant impact on Evanston’s first responders and on city resources. In our view, the primary impact of such emergencies is on Albany Care residents themselves -- those who require medical and police responses as well as their neighbors within the facility. In addition, there's the undeniable impact on public safety and wellbeing experienced by neighborhood residents, families, small business owners, and the entire City of Evanston.

We'll have more updates soon. In the meantime, thank you for your continued engagement and support.