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The Western Territory joins the 1998 Salvation Army National Social Services Conference convened earlier this month in Dallas, Tex., in saluting Dr. Mel Adkins, clinical program director for the Las Vegas, Nevada, Adult Rehabilitation Program.
Adkins was presented with the Western Territory’s Award for Excellence in Social Work by Colonel John Bate, national chief secretary. The citation accompanying the award noted Dr. Adkins accomplishments in developing the Las Vegas ARP from a small, shelter-based operation in 1984 into one of the Army’s premier alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs.
Adkins authored the comprehensive treatment program for chemical abuse which is used in Las Vegas and serves as a model for other centers across the country. Under his leadership, the Las Vegas ARP has pioneered in the treatment of addicted and mentally ill persons, under contract with the Nevada Department of Mental Health.
Adkins has been a frequent speaker on the subject of chemical addiction, presenting papers in all four U.S. territories and abroad. He serves as the managing editor of the Western Territory’s Journal of Rehabilitation and Recovery, and is a founding member of the territory’s Substance Abuse Roundtable.
To the officers and staff of Army addiction programs across the country, Mel is known as a Christian gentleman, an insightful and articulate thinker, a creative professional, and a good and warm friend.
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