Charlotte, NC — Katie Blessing Center is pleased to announce that Dr. Tom Gettelman has joined the organization as Clinical Strategy & Operations Advisor. In this role, Dr. Gettelman will support pre-opening development and operational readiness, providing strategic guidance across clinical, regulatory, and operational planning efforts.

Dr. Gettelman brings more than two decades of experience in behavioral health, with a distinguished career spanning clinical care, hospital operations, and executive leadership. His expertise will play a critical role as Katie Blessing Center advances toward opening, ensuring the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based care for children and adolescents.

Dr. Gettelman earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of South Florida and began his 24-year tenure with Atrium Health as a psychologist on the child and adolescent inpatient unit. He later served as Director of The Willows, an adolescent psychiatric residential treatment facility, and went on to become the first Vice President and Facility Executive for the Mindy Ellen Levine Behavioral Health Center in Davidson.

Following his leadership in launching and operating that inpatient psychiatric hospital, Dr. Gettelman served as Chief Clinical Officer at HopeWay, a state-of-the-art adult psychiatric residential treatment facility in South Charlotte, where he led clinical operations for seven years. He has also contributed at the state level as Mecklenburg County’s behavioral health representative on the North Carolina Commission for Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Developmental Disabilities, and currently serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for Teen Health Connection.

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Gettelman to our team,” said a spokesperson for Katie Blessing Center. “His clinical leadership and deep operational experience will be invaluable as we navigate the complex decisions required to bring this vision to life.”

Dr. Gettelman shared his enthusiasm for joining the organization:

“I am extremely excited and honored to be joining the Katie Blessing Center team in an advisory role to help bring their inspiring vision to life. Katie Blessing Center will provide exceptional, evidence-based behavioral health care to those truly in need. Not only will this be the first new child and adolescent inpatient psychiatric facility in this area for decades, but when fully operational, it will offer a continuum of care that does not exist on a single campus in this region.

The development of a child and adolescent psychiatric urgent care service, inpatient beds, and residential treatment will allow those in need to receive care in the most appropriate setting. The Charlotte region is extremely fortunate and will greatly benefit from this innovative approach to delivering the highest quality of intensive behavioral health care in a welcoming, healing environment.”

Katie Blessing Center is committed to addressing the critical need for comprehensive behavioral health services for children and adolescents across the region. The addition of Dr. Gettelman marks a significant step forward in ensuring clinical excellence and operational readiness ahead of the Center’s opening.