KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – A specialized clinic serving children with autism, ADHD and other behavioral health needs will stop operating at the end of June, according to a letter sent to patients of Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital.
The Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Clinic will be “concluding all current operations” as of June 29, the letter states. Hospital officials said the closure is tied to a provider leaving the organization and that care will continue in what they call a “reimagined structure” with current and future pediatric specialists.
For families who have relied on the clinic for years, the announcement has left them uncertain about where their children will receive care.
Ashley Turner has been making the 2.5- to 3-hour drive from Wise, Virginia to Knoxville every six weeks for seven years to get care for her 14-year-old daughter, who has autism and anxiety.
“When I say that they have been a lifesaver for us, I mean that for us and for her,” Turner said.
Turner said she learned of the closure through a letter that arrived a few weeks ago. She said she initially thought it would announce a location change, as had happened in the past.
“I opened it and they said that they were ceasing operations in June,” Turner said. “My heart sank. My husband’s heart sank and he said, ‘What do we do now?’ And I said, ‘I don’t know.’”
Turner said her daughter’s pediatrician referred the family to the Knoxville clinic when she was six years old, telling them specialized resources were limited in their area.
“We just don’t have anywhere close to us that offers those services that can give us the specialized care that we needed,” Turner said.
Todd Christopher’s nine-year-old daughter has autism and ADHD. He said his family has been going to the clinic for about two to three years.
“I probably learned more about my child in one visit than I had in like the past two years,” Christopher said.
The hospital’s letter recommends families contact their child’s primary care physician for medication management or visit the emergency department or urgent care for needs after June 29.
Christopher and Turner said those options are not equipped to handle the specialized mental health care their children need.
“For mental health, just their answer of going to your primary care physician, that’s just not really what they’re equipped for,” Christopher said. “Mental health is a completely different thing. It’s a serious thing.”
Christopher said he knows friends who waited 2.5 years to get their child into the clinic, and he has been told the waitlist is 500 to 600 people deep.
In a statement, hospital officials said they are temporarily pausing services due to the provider’s departure and have launched a national search for a replacement.
“We are temporarily pausing services within our Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics practice due to the departure of our current provider,” the statement said. “We have initiated a national search to recruit a replacement and are taking a thoughtful, deliberate approach to ensure we identify the right specialist to continue delivering high-quality care to our patients.”
The hospital said the future provider will be part of an expanded, multidisciplinary team.
“Over the past year, we have expanded our pediatric behavioral health services, positioning us to build a more integrated and comprehensive model of care,” the statement said. “Our future Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician will be part of this multidisciplinary team, working alongside specialists across behavioral health and related fields to better support children and families.”
The hospital said it is working with primary care pediatricians to create individualized care plans during the transition.
“During this transition, we are working closely with each patient’s primary care pediatrician to develop individualized care plans and ensure continuity of care,” the statement said. “This may include coordination with other specialists as appropriate. Our priority is to minimize any disruption and ensure every child continues to receive the support they need.”
WVLT reached back out to the hospital for clarity, following that statement. In a follow-up response, hospital officials clarified the nature of the closure.
“We are concluding the care in which it specifically operates today due to a provider leaving the organization,” the hospital said. “However, the care will continue in a reimagined structure with current and future pediatric specialists.”
The hospital declined to disclose how many families are affected, citing patient privacy.
Appointments scheduled before June 29 will be honored, according to the letter sent to families.
Turner said her daughter, like many children with autism, struggles with change and routine disruptions.
“The children that this clinic serves, children like my child, who like routine and they get to know somebody, it’s very hard to have to just switch,” Turner said.
Christopher said the clinic helped his family understand how to interact with his daughter and manage her emotions.
“They just knew exactly how to talk to her to break through and you could actually see the moment that there was like a click in one of the first meetings,” Christopher said.
Turner said she has found a potential new provider but said starting over with a new doctor is difficult.
“Trying to give somebody the whole history of where we used to be, where we are now, how far we’ve come, it’s really hard to start over when you’re dealing with the cases that this clinic treats,” Turner said.
Turner said she wants the hospital to understand the impact of removing a resource that is already difficult to access.
“I think we have a long way to go with the research and with the knowledge about these areas,” Turner said. “And when they take away this resource, it’s very hard for families, particularly in these rural areas like I am to try to find something else that’s even comparable.”
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