Larry Vitale Receives Giraffe Award

Larry Vitale RN, Senior Lecturer, has coordinated our student involvement in the San Quentin Health Fair since he began teaching here in 2007.  Before that, as a Public Health Nurse in the ACPHD, he was involved with organizing the health fair and was present at the very first event in 2004. Each year more of our nursing students express an interest in participating in the event, and each year the number of our students volunteering has increased to the point that we are now providing the majority of health screening services for the hundreds of inmates that participate in the event. He recently organized another successful San Quentin Health Fair on August 20, 2016. Read the article.

This year, Dr. Arnold Chavez, the founder and main organizer from the ACPHD presented Vitale with a Giraffe Award. Chavez explained the award analogizes the advantage of being a giraffe:

• The giraffe has the largest heart of all land animals. It is a caring animal.
• The giraffe has never been on the endangered species list.
• The giraffe has every color in the rainbow in its hide — reflective of every culture.
• If a giraffe were put in a box with other animals, its head would stick outside the box. So, the giraffe can think outside of the box.
• The tallness of the giraffe enables it to see afar — giving it the ability to plan into the future.
• The giraffe is a good fighter. If attacked, the stronger animals form a circle to protect the weakest.

Congratulations Larry and thank you for your excellent service!