Learn About Hazelden Betty Ford
Center City, Minn. (June 10, 2022) — The Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, the nation's leader in addiction treatment and mental health care, today announced that Ahmed Eid will be the nonprofit's new Minnesota Region vice president. A clinician-leader with considerable expertise in helping people recover from opioid and other substance use disorders, Eid will oversee treatment centers in St. Paul, Plymouth, Chaska and Maple Grove as well as Hazelden Betty Ford's largest campus in Center City, where the storied organization is headquartered and was founded almost 75 years ago.
"Ahmed truly embodies science, love and the wisdom of lived experience—the three essential elements of Hazelden Betty Ford's spirit and care," said Joseph Lee, MD, president and CEO of Hazelden Betty Ford, which has treatment centers and telehealth services nationwide; research, prevention and education services; and a network of collaborators throughout health care. "During his 10 years with Hazelden Betty Ford, Ahmed has proven to be an exceptional clinician, leader, educator and innovator, and we are excited about the future of our Minnesota services under his leadership."
Eid has more than 16 years of experience providing various levels of care to patients in many different settings in the U.S. and Egypt, his country of origin. He also helped develop an addiction treatment program for incarcerated people in the United Arab Emirates.
Most recently, Eid has served as director of Hazelden Betty Ford in Naples, Fla., where he led substantial growth over the past two years. At the same time, he was national director of Hazelden Betty Ford's Comprehensive Opioid Response with Twelve Steps (COR-12) services and co-chair of the organization's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. Prior to those roles, he was a clinical manager at two Minnesota locations, first in Center City and then St. Paul.
As vice president of the Minnesota Region, Eid will oversee roughly 600 full-time, part-time and on-call team members serving several thousand patients a year. Minnesota is Hazelden Betty Ford's largest region.
"It is an incredible honor and privilege to lead a region that is such a force of healing and hope for so many families and communities," Eid said. "I know the teams in Minnesota well from having worked there previously—they're some of the most passionate, skilled, and caring professionals in health care—and I am thrilled to work with them again in this new capacity. Together, we're going to continue broadening Hazelden Betty Ford's banner, revolutionizing addiction care in all its forms, and helping more people."
An immigrant from the Egyptian capital of Cairo, Eid is the first African executive and first person of color to lead a recovery services region at Hazelden Betty Ford. He is himself in long-term recovery from addiction, and received lifesaving care at Cairo's Behman Psychiatric Hospital, which utilized Hazelden Publishing materials. His experiences in recovery and working at that same hospital ultimately inspired him to leave business school and earn his bachelor's degree in applied psychology.
When it came time to seek a master's degree, Eid's supervisor recommended the Hazelden Graduate School (now the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School) in Minnesota. The application process was complicated by the revolution in Egypt known as the Arab Spring. The closure of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo compelled him to travel to the United Arab Emirates to obtain his visa. Eventually, he made it to Minnesota and, after graduating, began his career as a counselor. In addition to his many leadership roles since, Eid has been an adjunct faculty member at the graduate school for a number of years, teaching "Intro to Theory and Practice" and "Clinical Supervision."
"Hazelden Betty Ford impacted my life half-way around the world when I was a patient, then attracted me as a student, and has since provided me career opportunities beyond what I ever imagined," Eid said. "To be part of a mission that empowers stories like mine every day is incredibly meaningful and fulfilling."
Eid succeeds Chuck Rice, who recently retired after 25 years with Hazelden Betty Ford.
The organization also recently promoted another Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School alum, Tessa Voss, to become vice president of the California Region and administrator of the Betty Ford Center, a trusted source and global symbol of healing, hope and love in Rancho Mirage, Calif., which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Voss is the Betty Ford Center's first woman administrator.
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 addiction and mental health care for adults and youth, the Foundation has treatment centers and telehealth services nationwide as well as a network of collaborators throughout health care. Through charitable support and a commitment to innovation, the Foundation is able to continually enhance care, research, programs and services, and help more people. With a legacy that began in 1949 and includes the 1982 founding of the Betty Ford Center, the Foundation today is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in its services and throughout the organization, which 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.