The TEAM Centers Inc. is a private nonprofit organization with an office at 1000 Third St. in Chattanooga that handles evaluation and assessment of people with developmental disabilities.NEW HIRES AT CENTER FOR PEDIATRIC THERAPY
Alyce Benson — senior social workerCathy Burriss — speech-language pathologistMary Dee Kelly — physical therapistMary Mullins — occupational therapistKaren Weigle — clinical psychologistSource: Center for Pediatric Therapy
A local special-needs pediatric therapy hub has hired five senior employees from TEAM Centers Inc., the state-subsidized mental health facility that’s closing its key clinical program next month.
“We wanted to decrease the hysteria and anxiety,” said Melody Gaston, an occupational therapist and owner of the Center for Pediatric Therapy. “We hope this calms some people down.”
Gaston said the new hires reached out to the Center for Pediatric Therapy last week after TEAM did not receive a $774,000 state grant it had gotten for years, prompting TEAM’s interim executive director, Peter Charman, to announce 22 layoffs.
The grant was eliminated as a result of state lawmakers’ budget cuts.