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Illinois Approves Alsos Behavioral Health’s 128-Bed Center

By Drooid · Oct 21, 2026, 4:15 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Illinois officials approved a special-use permit for Alsos Behavioral Health’s 128-bed inpatient center in Rockford.
The Zoning Board of Appeals voted 4-2 after neighbors voiced safety and traffic concerns.
Alsos will convert the former River Crossing nursing home at 1660 S. Mulford Road.
Therapists will be assigned at a ratio of one per sixteen patients.
Attorney Sarah Jane Hunt warned that denying the permit would violate the ADA.

History

Historical Context

The Americans with Disabilities Act, signed by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990 after a 1986 National Council on Disability recommendation, established nationwide nondiscrimination and accessibility standards. Decades later, the 2008 ADA Amendments Act broadened its reach, and in 2024 Illinois approved Alsos Behavioral Health’s 128-bed Rockford inpatient center despite a 4-2 zoning split and an ADA lawsuit filed by attorney Sarah Jane Hunt.

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Story summary

Illinois officials approved a special-use permit for Alsos Behavioral Health’s 128-bed inpatient center in Rockford.
The Zoning Board of Appeals voted 4-2 after neighbors voiced safety and traffic concerns.
Alsos will convert the former River Crossing nursing home at 1660 S. Mulford Road.
Therapists will be assigned at a ratio of one per sixteen patients.
Attorney Sarah Jane Hunt warned that denying the permit would violate the ADA.

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