University of San Francisco’s California Prize Dinner Set for October 29
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) October 02, 2013 -- The University of San Francisco (USF) will honor the San Francisco Free Clinic, recipient of the 2013 University of San Francisco California Prize for Service and the Common Good, during a dinner gala on Tuesday, October 29 starting at 6 p.m. Doctors Tricia and Richard Gibbs, founders of the Clinic, will be accepting the USF California Prize during the event. Taking place on the USF Hilltop campus in the heart of San Francisco, the annual USF California Prize Dinner welcomes 400 attendees to praise and pay tribute to the work of the awardee.
Focused on community wellness, the San Francisco Free Clinic provides free, accessible medical treatment to those without health insurance, while also advancing the field of primary care by providing educational opportunities for future medical practitioners.
“USF is pleased to recognize Doctors Richard and Tricia Gibbs with its USF California Prize for twenty years of hard work at establishing and overseeing the development of the San Francisco Free Clinic,” said USF President Stephen A. Privett, S.J. “In honoring their work, the University also draws attention to this nation’s failure to provide universal health care. Richard and Tricia have selflessly devoted themselves to caring for those who otherwise would not have access to the high quality health care that the Free Clinic delivers. In doing this, they have also provided clinical placements for medical students who have subsequently made career-altering decisions to include service to the uninsured in their practice. These two doctors have created a circle of benevolence that is reverberating across the country, one physician at a time.”
The University of San Francisco California Prize recognizes significant service in pursuit of the common good of society, and comes with a monetary award and handcrafted medal. The prize was created to recognize an organization or individual whose efforts benefit Californians, especially the poor and marginalized. The prize also gives the university an opportunity to highlight its focus on service learning in the Bay Area and beyond. USF is passionate about inspiring its students to lead ethical lives and give back to their communities, and the USF California Prize is a powerful example which demonstrates to them the tremendous impact that a single individual or group can have. Past recipients include the San Francisco Giants, Daniel Lurie of Tipping Point Community, One PacificCoast (formerly OneCalifornia Bank and Foundation), renowned chef Alice Waters, and social entrepreneur Lynn Fritz.
Drs. Richard and Tricia Gibbs, two family physicians who closed their successful private practice, founded the San Francisco Free Clinic in 1993 to provide uninsured patients with a variety of primary care and preventive services. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, the clinic has provided healthcare services during more than 70,000 patient visits, distributed valuable medications, and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of specialty care at no cost to the patient.
“Along with everyone at the San Francisco Free Clinic, we are honored and grateful to USF for the California Prize,” said Dr. Richard Gibbs. “The Prize not only rewards all the wonderful folks who have helped with the Free Clinic over the years, but it allows us to tell the Clinic's story and especially the continuing need to provide all people the opportunity for a healthy life.” Dr. Tricia Gibbs continued, “The University’s thoughtfulness in recognizing the importance of this work is very much in harmony with USF’s core value of serving others, and we’re so happy to be their partners-in-spirit through the Prize.”
For more information about the University of San Francisco California Prize for Service and the Common Good, or for details about the October 29 dinner event (including purchasing tickets), please visit http://www.usfca.edu/ca_prize. More information about the San Francisco Free Clinic can be found at http://www.sffc.org.
About the University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco is located in the heart of one of the world's most innovative and stunning cities and is home to a vibrant academic community of students and faculty who achieve excellence in their fields. Its diverse student body enjoys direct access to faculty, small classes, and outstanding opportunities in the city itself. USF is San Francisco's first university, and its Jesuit Catholic mission helps ignite a student's passion for social justice and a desire to “Change the World from Here.” For more information, please visit http://www.usfca.edu.
To request interviews with Drs. Tricia and Richard Gibbs, or USF President Stephen A. Privett, S.J. about the USF California Prize, please contact Anne-Marie Devine, senior director of media relations, at (415) 422-2697 or abdevine(at)usfca(dot)edu.
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Anne-Marie Devine, University of San Francisco, +1 (415) 422-2697, [email protected]
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