Susan Underwood, a recently retired social worker with the Covington County Department of Human Resources (DHR), has been chosen to receive the 2010 Alabama Spirit of Adult Protective Services Award. As the award recipient, she will represent the state as Alabama’s nominee for the 2010 Spirit of National Adult Protective Service Association (NAPSA) Award.
This award acknowledges a frontline Adult Protective Services (APS) staff person in recognition of significant contribution to the growth and development of the APS program in his/her community. NAPSA will consider nominees from all states, and the national winner will be announced at the 21st Annual NAPSA conference later this year.
Ms. Underwood was honored at the World Elder Abuse Awareness Symposium in Montgomery on June 14th.
"Through her extensive work with Adult Services, Ms. Underwood has gained widespread community respect for her knowledge and expertise in working with adult individuals," Covington County Director Cathy Leverington stated in her nomination letter. "She has always shown her adult protective service clients the dignity and respect they so deserve yet becoming proactive on their behalf as the need arose."
Ms. Underwood retired effective June 1, 2010. Her vast knowledge and expertise in adult services will be greatly missed by the Department and the community.
In fiscal year 2009, the Alabama Department of Human Resources investigated approximately 4,693 adult protective service reports.
For more information about Adult Services in Alabama, please visit page www.dhr.alabama.gov/page.asp?pageid=274 on our web site.