The new chief of psychiatry at the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Institute will work to improve the future of mental healthcare in Bermuda.It will be the role of Chantelle Simmons to continue implementing the Mental Health Plan when she takes the helm at MWI. The Mental Health Plan, which was published last year, recognises mental healthcare in Bermuda focuses too much on institutionalisation rather than community-based care.It will be Dr Simmons’ job to try to stop the ‘revolving door’, which sees clients being institutionalised, returning to the community with little support then re-entering an institution.It will also be Dr Simmons’ job to oversee the development of all psychiatric services and medical staff at MWI.Dr Simmons starts her new job as MWI is being forced to make savings of $1 million because of the three percent decrease in Government funding. The MWI subsidy for this fiscal year is $38.578 million.MWI’s current complement of ten psychiatric support staff will be reduced to eight; four psychiatrists and four resident doctors. The three positions of art therapist, occupational therapist and physiotherapist are also being frozen.Dr Simmons, who is Bermudian, will be replacing Dr Michael Radford, who is English, as chief of psychiatry when his contract expires on August 31.Dr Simmons and Dr Radford both started work at MWI on the same day in August 2009. Over the last two years Dr Radford has helped to train several Bermudian psychiatrists including Dr Simmons, who he affectionately calls his “twin sister”.Dr Simmons is currently a Consultant Psychiatrist at MWI for the General Adult Psychiatry and Substance Abuse Treatment Programme services. She has provided the medical leadership for the Turning Point Programme, as it worked towards its recently awarded CARF accreditation.Dr Simmons is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at Howard University in Washington, DC.Dr Simmons said: “I am honoured to take on this position and excited about the direction of mental health in Bermuda. It’s a privilege to work with such a strong team at MWI.“I look forward to continuing the long term implementation of the Mental Health Plan and to developing services that improve the mental health of the Bermuda community.”Dr Donald Thomas, chief of staff at Bermuda Hospitals Board, said he was pleased to appoint Dr Simmons to this “extremely important position.”He said: “We are very fortunate to have had the benefit of Dr Radford’s experience over the last two years during the formulation and initial implementation of the Bermuda Mental Health Plan and I thank him for all he has done at MWI and for mental health in Bermuda.“We are, however, very fortunate to have a Bermudian psychiatrist of Dr Simmons’ ability and professionalism to take the helm.“She is passionate about improving mental health services in Bermuda, and along with the team at MWI, will continue to build on the strong foundation that has been set.”Dr Simmons, a former Warwick Academy student, previously worked and trained in the US; she completed an Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship at Emory University, Atlanta; served as the 2007-8 Psychiatry Chief Resident at Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta; and completed her general psychiatry residency training at Emory University.Dr Simmons earned her Bachelor’s degree in biology at Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada and an MD from McGill University in Quebec.She has had her work published in the American Journal of Addictions and International Journal of Culture and Mental Health.Dr Simmons has also presented widely and taught both in Bermuda and the US. And just last month spoke at a Howard University symposium about the introduction of the recovery model in Bermuda.Dr Simmons sits on the BHB Ethics Committee and Chairs the Ethics Education sub-Committee.She is also the co-Chair of the MWI Dual Diagnosis Capacity Working Group, Faculty Advisor for the Bermuda Medical Students’ Association, a Council Member of the Bermuda Girl Guide Association and a non-official member of the United World College Bermuda National Committee.