A developmental and behavioral pediatrics clinic that serves children with autism, ADHD and other neurodevelopmental needs at Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital in Knoxville will wrap up its current operations on June 29, 2026. Hospital leaders have told families the pause is tied to a provider’s departure and say services will return in a reimagined, multidisciplinary model. For parents who drive hours and fight through long waitlists, the notice has landed as more of a cliff than a gentle transition.
In a letter to patients obtained by WVLT, the Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Clinic was described as “concluding all current operations” as of June 29, and the hospital said it has launched a national search to recruit a replacement provider. In a statement also shared with WVLT, officials said appointments already scheduled before June 29 will be honored and that clinicians are working with patients’ primary care pediatricians on individualized transition plans. The hospital declined to say how many families will be affected, citing patient privacy.
Families left scrambling
Parents told WVLT they felt blindsided by the announcement. Ashley Turner said the clinic has been “a lifesaver for us” and that she spends two and a half to three hours on the road each way to get her daughter to appointments. Another parent, Todd Christopher, said the clinic has helped his family make real progress and that he has been told the waitlist can stretch to roughly 500 to 600 children. Families say primary care offices and walk-in urgent-care centers are simply not equipped to provide the kind of specialty developmental and behavioral care their kids rely on.
Hospital frames changes as a rebuild
The health system, which this spring completed its rebrand as Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital, is characterizing the move as a temporary reset while it folds developmental and behavioral services into an expanded multidisciplinary program and recruits a new specialist, according to the hospital’s news page. A March announcement about the Dolly Parton partnership highlighted broader investments in services and access across East Tennessee. The hospital’s site also lists contacts and resources meant to guide patients and families through the organizational changes.
Why access is limited
Specialty developmental and behavioral pediatric care is in short supply across the country, constrained by a limited workforce and training pipeline, according to federal reports. The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee and related U.S. Department of Health and Human Services materials note that programs such as LEND and dedicated developmental-behavioral pediatrics training slots receive active support in an effort to ease shortages, yet overall capacity remains thin in many regions. That national backdrop helps explain why a single clinic’s pause can leave rural and lower-income families with few realistic alternatives nearby.
What families can do now
The hospital’s letter outlines how existing appointments will continue through June 29, and the hospital news page lists phone and press contacts for families who have questions. Parents are being directed to contact the hospital’s patient services or communications team to discuss individualized transition plans and any immediate medication management needs. Families can also work with their child’s primary care pediatrician and local school-based services to help bridge supports while the hospital searches for a replacement provider. For now, families and local clinicians say they want clearer details on the hiring timeline and on how the reworked model will handle children with complex behavioral needs.
We will monitor hospital announcements and recruitment updates and will update this story as more information, including staffing timelines, becomes available.
