Dr. Oz Makes a Houston House Call, Promoting Mental Healthcare for Teens at Memorial Schmooze

Henry Clark

MaryCharles Bennett, Dr. Oz & Jennifer Ducote

DR. OZ, ERSTWHILE U.S. Senate candidate and TV star, was the guest of honor at a cocktail party promoting HealthCorps’ mental health initiatives for teens, held at the home of CityBook Executive Publisher Lisa Holthouse and husband Michael.

A few dozen Holthouse friends gathered in the Memorial manse, readied for springtime with beautiful soft-colored florals, to rub shoulders with the good doctor, who was a renowned heart surgeon long before Oprah helped him become a household name.

As Lisa noted in her recent essay on HealthCorps, Mehmet Oz founded HealthCorps in 2003 to address health inequities in at-risk communities by empowering teens to take ownership of their health and well-being, “encouraging them to become change agents within their family, their school and their neighborhood.”

HealthCorps has programs in place in Houston at Jack Yates High School, Worthing High School, Wheatley High School, Welch Middle School, Wisdom High School, YES Prep Public Schools’ Eisenhower High School and Varnett Northeast.