New Clinical Director, Substance Abuse Appointed

Bermuda Hospitals Board (BHB) today announces the appointment of Mrs Shirley Place to the position of Clinical Director, Substance Abuse at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute (MWI).

This position is responsible for Turning Point, the substance abuse programme that provides inpatient detox and outpatient services, and the methadone clinic, and reports to the Chief Operating Officer of MWI, Ms Patrice Dill.

Mrs Place had previously been Acing Clinical Director, Substance Abuse. A trained social worker and Bermudian, Mrs Place has worked in the Substance Abuse directorate since 2006, when she joined BHB as a Clinical Social Worker. Prior to this, Mrs Place worked as a Group Facilitator for two summers with the Department of Corrections, and as Coordinator for the Teen Haven Program (Teen Services). From 1997 to 2001, Mrs Place worked in MWI’s Learning Disability Programme as a Social Worker, and has previous experience as a part-time substance Abuse Counselor at Fair Haven and a Locum Medical Social Worker at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

Ms Dill comments: “I am very pleased to see one of our own highly experienced professionals promoted to this important position. Mrs Place understands the vital service Turning Point provides to the people in our community who are struggling against addiction. She has to date been working with her team to prepare Turning Point for specialised internationally-recognised accreditation with the Council for the Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). Under Mrs Place’s leadership I am looking forward to seeing the service develop around the needs of Bermuda.”

Mrs Place adds: “This is an exciting time to be at Turning Point. The team is working hard to gain international accreditation. While we are very proud of our services, preparation for the CARF accreditation survey has already helped us identify our strengths and opportunities to improve. The path to Accreditation with CARF will require implementation over a period of time. It will enable our team to make changes which can be sustained over a long period and will ultimately improve services for our service users.”

Mrs Place has a Bachelor of Social Work from Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, a Master of Social Work (Advanced Standing) from the University of Maryland, a Master of Management from Webster University and is an International Certified Alcohol and Drugs Counselor.

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