More than 100 local employees to lose jobs in mass layoffs

BLOOMINGTON (25News Now) – Mass layoffs in two Central Illinois operations will impact more than 100 employees in the next two months.

Records from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity show that the layoffs will impact 92 employees at Personal Assistance Telephone Help, Inc. (PATH) in Bloomington. According to those records, those positions were slashed due to a lost contract.

Layoffs at the Bloomington business begin June 30. The filing with the state of intended layoffs follows the announcement in April that PATH did not get the contract to run Illinois’ 988 suicide prevention call center.

Board members for the PATH Crisis Center in Bloomington said they are “disappointed and deeply saddened” that it did not receive a $9.5 million grant to continue operating Illinois’ 988 suicide and crisis prevention call center.

Close to 100 PATH employees who staffed the call center will lose their jobs after state officials chose southern Illinois-based Centerstone to provide the service.

Choosing the grant recipient was a competitive process, and Centerstone was the highest scoring applicant, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) said in a statement released to 25News.

IDHS says its Division of Mental Health was in charge of the selection process, and “multiple people” were involved in scoring the applicants.

“Centerstone is a call center in other states, with extensive experience in the 988 system, and also serves as a national backup call center. They are also an established community mental health center in Illinois, providing mobile crisis response services and other behavioral health supports in southern Illinois,” the IDHS statement said.

“We appreciate PATH’s ongoing partnership and look forward to working together on this transition. IDHS does not expect any disruptions to 988 services for anyone in Illinois during this transition,” IDHS said.

PATH, which stands for Personal Assistance Telephone Help, won the initial contract to run the 988 service in 2022.

PATH’s Board of Directors released the following statement late Wednesday.

“The Board of Directors is disappointed and deeply saddened that PATH was not selected for the statewide 988 grant. As an organization, it was an honor to fulfill this vital role for people in need for the past two years.”

PATH’S board said the agency continues to support the 211 call center in which people in need can get referrals and information about various social services. PATH also offers services to help the homeless.

Additionally, 31 employees of Marion Manufacturing in Morton will be impacted by the layoffs starting July 31, the report shows. The company expects those layoffs to finish by the end of the year.

Marion Manufacturing President Tammy Marion said the layoffs are the result of the business consolidating its Morton operation into its West Terre Haute, IN., operation.

She said the company offered all employees of the Morton facility the opportunity to relocate to the Indiana facility. Those who choose not to relocate will be assisted with placement in new positions locally, she said.

WEEK-TV reached out to PATH for comment but has not heard back from PATH.

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