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"Improving health care and safety for all New Jersey residents..."
The Anne Klein Award

  
 




Joseph F. Vitale was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He attended public schools in Woodbridge and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Iselin. He is the president of Vitale Sign Corporation, a family business founded in Rahway in 1950.

Senator Vitale was first elected to serve in the New Jersey Senate in 1997. He represents the 19th Legislative District, which include the communities of Woodbridge Township, Carteret, Perth Amboy, South Amboy and Sayreville. He is the Chairman of the Senate Health, Human Services, and Senior Citizens Committee and he is the Vice Chairman of the Senate Economic Growth Committee.

Please contact the Office for Senator Joe Vitale's biography.


Senator Vitale’s focus during his tenure has been to ensure that all New Jerseyans have access to high quality and affordable health care, particularly working families. As a passionate advocate for under-served populations, Senator Vitale has put a priority on protecting the health of children and has sponsored a diverse array of legislation geared towards this goal. The Senator helped create KidCare, a health insurance program for children and later worked to expand that coverage to families, in what became FamilyCare. The Senator continues to work to find ways to help the working uninsured of New Jersey. He has sponsored bills to improve patient safety in health care facilities including enhanced systems for reporting medical errors, restricting the use of forced mandatory overtime for nurses, requiring the use of safe needles and creating protocols for responding to public health emergencies.


Listen to Audio: Establishing a buy-in program for uninsured children.



 

Senator Vitale has been published on several occasions. Following is a selection of his work:


"The Opportunity for New Jersey to Lead National Health Reform: A Political Perspective;" MD Advisor, Fall 2008.

"Health Care Coverage for All: A Blueprint for New Jersey," (Vitale, Knowlton), March 2008.

"Are Our Hospitals at a Crossroads?," (Kelly, Jacobs, Mansue, Vitale, Carter), Healthcare New Jersey, Vol.15, No. 5, September/October 2006.

"Patient Safety," New Jersey Medicine, Vol. 101, Nos. 7-8, July/August, 2004.

 

  
Contact Our Office
732-855-7441 senvitale@njleg.org
We want to hear from you. Telephone or e-mail us. Visit our district office at 569 Rahway Avenue, Woodbridge, NJ 07095.
  Legislative Accomplishments
  Legislative Priorities

Blue  New Jersey Monthly Magazine, "Power Issue: From the Arts to Politics, the 101 Most Influential People in the Garden State," Joseph Vitale, State Senator: A state senator since 1998, the Democratic lawmaker's name has become synonymous with health care. His well-articulated defense of the state's most vulnerable populations usually makes reelection a cinch, but that has not stopped Vitale from being one of the hardest-working members of the legislature, 2009.

Blue  New Jersey Citizen Action, "Legislator of the Year Award," for many years of dedicated public service on behalf of all of New Jersey's families especially for his leadership to provide high quality and affordable health care for everyone, 2008.

Blue  New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals, "Dr. Stanley S. Bergen, Jr. Medal of Merit," for distinguished leadership on health care issues and graduate medical education, 2008.

Blue  New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, "Quality Advocate Award," 2007.

Blue  National Alliance on Mental Illness, "Legislative Recognition Award," for outstanding advocacy on behalf of individuals and families affected by mental illness, 2007.

Blue  National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, "Public Policy Award," for improving public health by advocating for addiction treatment funding and parity in New Jersey, 2007.

Blue  The New Jersey Association of Children’s Residential Facilities, “Child Advocate of the Year” for improving the quality of life for the children and youth in New Jersey, 2006.

Blue  AARP New Jersey, “Legislative Leadership Award," for steadfast support and leadership to help residents age with dignity, 2006.

Blue  Legal Services of New Jersey “The Richard J. Hughes Career Public Service Award” for his exceptional contributions toward securing a more just society for disadvantaged people, particularly his efforts to secure and preserve FamilyCare and Medicaid benefits and provide other essential assistance to low-income people, 2006.

Blue  New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault, "'Let's Talk About It' Award," for unwavering commitment to and compassion for survivors of sexual assault and steadfast support for eliminating sexual violence against all people, 2006.

Blue  New Jersey Hospital Association, "Legislator of the Year," in recognition of leadership in expanding New Jersey's FamilyCare Program to increase access to health care coverage for the state's working poor families, 2006.

Blue  Community Health Law Project, "Ann Klein Advocate Award," for distinguished career in public service focused on improving health care access and safety for all New Jersey residents, 2005.

  Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Department of New Jersey, “Legislative Excellence Award,” for outstanding support of Veterans’ and a deep concern for their families, 2005.

Blue  Medical Society of New Jersey, "Outstanding Legislator Citation," for statesmanship and leadership in the continued effort to improve the quality of health care in New Jersey, 2005.

Blue  Robert Wood Johnson Fund for Health Care Execellence, "Legislator of the Year Award," in recognition of efforts to improve the health and health care of the people of New Jersey, 2005.

Blue  Alzheimer Association, "Circle of Honor Award," for contributions to people with alzheimer's disease and their families, 2005.

Blue  HealthSense, Inc., "New Jersey's 50 Most Influential in the Political Healthcare Arena," second most influential player, 2004.

  Women’s Political Caucus “Good Guys” Award, 2004

Blue  New Jersey State Nurses Association, "Legislator of the Year Award," for commitment to the improvement of patient care and relentless support of the nursing profession, 2000.

Blue  Covenant House of New Jersey, "Lizzy Award," in recognition of leadership and commitment to see passage of the New Jersey Homeless Youth Act, 1999.