Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed a bill strengthening the possible penalties a state watchdog can impose on health care workers who conspire to hide abuse or interfere with investigations by the Illinois State Police or oversight bodies.
The change in the law follows an investigation by Capitol News Illinois, Lee Enterprises Midwest and ProPublica into rampant abuses and coverups at Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center, a state-run institution in southern Illinois that houses people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental illnesses.
