Illinois plans about 250 layoffs and program changes at Anna’s Choate center

Illinois plans to eliminate Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center’s general residential program and lay off about 250 employees at the state-run facility in Anna, according to changes announced by the Illinois Department of Human Services on July 23, 2026.

The announcement affects both a major local employer and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The planned layoffs could affect hundreds of workers at Choate and have consequences for the regional economy, although the available report does not provide a dollar estimate of the local impact.

What is planned at Choate

IDHS said the facility’s entire general residential program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities will be eliminated. Operations for the affected general residential units were planned to cease by September 2026.

The agency described the changes as part of a three-year plan to repurpose Choate in partnership with Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. The announcement describes operational changes at the Anna center; it does not say that Choate will close entirely.

The plan remains subject to implementation details. The available report does not establish the final number of layoffs, which individual positions will be affected or the exact dates when employees could be separated.

Workforce and community impact

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees said IDHS intends to lay off about 250 employees over the coming months. The facility has more than 500 employees, meaning the union’s estimate represents roughly half of Choate’s workforce, though the final total could change.

For Anna, the proposed cuts place a substantial share of a large local workforce in question. Workers may be affected over the coming months as the state moves toward the September program deadline. The changes also raise practical questions about the future delivery of residential services at Choate.

The report does not quantify how many Anna residents or other people currently receive services through the general residential program. It also does not identify the positions that would be eliminated or explain the specific programs that would replace the affected operations.

What happens next

IDHS’s three-year repurposing plan, developed with Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, is the stated framework for the changes. The next known milestone is the planned cessation of general residential-unit operations by September 2026.

The July 23 announcement was reported July 24. Until the state provides a final implementation schedule and detailed staffing information, the reported 250 layoffs should be treated as a plan rather than completed job losses.