New leader announced as Hazelden Betty Ford in Naples marks 10th anniversary
Southwest Florida addiction treatment center continues treating patients in-person and virtually through COVID-19 pandemic
NAPLES, Fla., May 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, a leading national nonprofit provider of addiction treatment and mental health services, announced Ahmed Eid, a clinician with deep expertise in helping people recover from opioid use disorder, as its new director of Florida services.
Hazelden Betty Ford has 17 sites nationwide, including a multilevel care facility in Naples that celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and continues to treat patients on-site in both residential and day-treatment services amid the COVID-19 pandemic—testing new patients for the coronavirus before they even begin treatment. Eid has served as interim director in Naples since mid-March, when Hazelden Betty Ford transitioned all of its intensive outpatient (IOP) care entirely to a secure virtual platform that is part of its proprietary RecoveryGo telehealth service, increasing the number of IOP patients served by 17%.
"We are grateful to have the steady leadership of Ahmed in Naples, which has been serving southwest Florida for the past decade," said James Ahlman, Hazelden Betty Ford's regional executive director for the East. "Ahmed's clear vision and deep knowledge of substance use disorder treatment is a boon to southwest Florida's individuals and families struggling with addiction, especially during the COVID-19-induced uncertainty."
Eid most recently comes from Hazelden Betty Ford's St. Paul, Minn., facility, where he managed the site's Comprehensive Opioid Response with Twelve Steps (COR-12) services while also serving as the organization's national COR-12 director. He will continue the latter role from his new home base in Naples. With more than 14 years of experience in the field, Eid holds a bachelor's degree in applied psychology and a master's degree in addiction counseling from the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies—where he also teaches as an adjunct faculty member. He has provided care to patients at a variety of settings and levels of care and helped develop a treatment program in the United Arab Emirates.
"We continue to fight an opioid overdose epidemic and broader addiction crisis even as we tackle the additional stress and demands of the coronavirus pandemic," said Eid. "I am thrilled to lead the group of skilled and compassionate clinicians and care providers in Naples to help individuals and families find freedom from addiction."
The residential and outpatient substance use treatment services available at Hazelden Betty Ford in Naples include medication-assisted treatment for those who have opioid use disorder, family services, and mental health services for all who need them. The site also offers specialty treatment options for people over the age of 50 and first responders—the latter a group that is routinely exposed to extreme levels of stress and trauma, especially now during the opioid overdose crisis and COVID-19 pandemic.
The RecoveryGo behavioral health service brings Hazelden Betty Ford's world-class outpatient addiction and mental health care, recovery support resources and family services directly to patients' homes and devices—making care available to anyone anywhere in Florida. Most services are insurance-eligible and comply with federal and state health care privacy regulations.
About the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is a force of healing and hope for individuals, families and communities affected by addiction to alcohol and other drugs. As the nation's leading nonprofit provider of comprehensive inpatient and outpatient treatment for adults and youth, the Foundation has 17 locations nationwide and collaborates with an expansive network throughout health care. With a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center, the Foundation today also encompasses a graduate school of addiction studies, a publishing division, an addiction research center, recovery advocacy and thought leadership, professional and medical education programs, school-based prevention resources and a specialized program for children who grow up in families with addiction. Learn more at www.HazeldenBettyFord.org and on Twitter @hazldnbettyford.
SOURCE Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
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