To the Editor:

Passing legislation to prohibit Gov. Pat Quinn from closing three key state mental health centers didn’t work for long. Quinn has been at it again, meeting behind closed doors to pick which state facilities for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled will be shut down due to budget problems.

Closing institutions will not save the state money or improve services because community-based services are not already in place. If these facilities close, then people will have nowhere to go and costs will be shifted to already packed emergency rooms, homeless shelters, and correctional facilities. Not to mention needlessly increasing the suffering of people facing mental illness.