June 24, 2014

For Immediate Release

JASPER- Mr. Matthew R. “Matt” Mitchell, a social worker who investigates and arranges services for adults at risk of abuse, neglect, and/or exploitation for the Walker County Department of Human Resources (DHR), is the recipient of the 2014 Alabama Adult Protective Services Spirit Award.  He received the award at a ceremony earlier this month at a ceremony in Birmingham.

The award is presented annually to a frontline worker who, through his or her own initiative and ideas, makes significant contribution to the growth and development of the Adult Protective Services (APS) program.  As the Spirit of APS Award winner for Alabama, Mr. Mitchell will be nominated for the National Spirit of the National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA) Award, which will be presented at the 25th annual conference in Portland, Oregon in October.

Doris Ball, Director of the Adult Protective Services Division commended Mr. Mitchell stating, “He represents the good case-work done by APS staff across the state.”

Walker County DHR Director, Randal Redmill added, “It has become a common occurrence for the agency director to return from various community meetings, having heard something positive about Matt and the APS program.”

Mr. Mitchell has provided consistent, quality services to the elderly and disabled adult population in Walker County for 3 years.  Mr. Kevin Young, Walker County APS Supervisor, states that “through improvements to existing outreach programs and efforts to increase elder abuse awareness, Matt has worked hard to provide assistance and protection to the most vulnerable adults”.

NAPSA is a national organization representing the interests of Adult Protective Services programs and has members in every state.  The organization is a leader in developing national policy recommendations and providing advocacy, training, research and innovation in the field of Adult Protective Services.