Championing Mental Healthcare for Teens, Dr. Oz’s HealthCorps Expands in Houston Schools
Henry Clark
May. 3, 2023
Dr. Oz speaking in Houston with HealthCorp CEO Amy Braun
LAST I CHECKED there were 1.5 million nonprofits in America. And in Houston alone, there are more than 15,000. There is no shortage of causes to which one can devote time, energy or funds — children or elderly, hungry or homeless, disabled or infirmed, religious or educational.
There is, however, one area that has become a hot topic of focus in recent years — and which I have taken a personal interest in, along with my friend Dr. Oz. That is mental health. America is no doubt experiencing a mental health crisis.
According to the World Health Organization, depression is one of the leading causes of disability, and suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15- to 29-year-olds. People with severe mental health conditions die prematurely due to preventable physical conditions. Health and wellness are arguably one of the most important issues we should tackle to combat this crisis.
We have long understood the importance of diet and physical activity. But now the mental piece needs to fit into the puzzle.
Enter Dr. Oz!
Mehmet Oz recently came to Houston with his team — to a gathering at my home in Memorial — to promote the nonprofit that is making a difference in this field. Dr. Oz has been a household name for ages with his rise to television fame, originally alongside Oprah and eventually with his own show, not to mention a subsequent foray into politics.
These gigs aside, he a renowned heart surgeon, and he has a heart of gold. He started 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.” They strive to strengthen teens and equip them with tools to become more physically, spiritually and mentally resilient.
By offering curriculum through a coordinator embedded into the campuses of middle and high schools, teens experience a wellness program through what is referred to as a “Living Lab.” But their newest model, Teens Make Health Happen, is what Dr. Oz and the HealthCorps team are particularly excited about.
They came to Houston to spread the good word about this new model with the hopes of raising awareness and funds to help grow into more schools, thus impacting thousands more teens in our community.
“HealthCorps has had a long and successful relationship with Houston schools,” says organization President and CEO Amy Braun. “Our goal is to build upon that relationship and expand our program throughout Houston.
“HealthCorps’ unique college mentorship model focuses on delivering real results,” she adds. “Some 87 percent of our students make at least one behavior change, by educating and empowering our students to create healthy changes for themselves and their communities. HealthCorps is a solution to the pain, anxiety and depression plaguing so many of our middle and high school students today.”
During the 2022-23 academic year, the HealthCorps program has targeted 6,242 students at seven sites throughout Harris County with 11 clubs. The HealthCorps programming is empowering students 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. “If we could expand this program to all of our kids,” an administrator at Yates High School shared, “we would see a huge shift in our schools’ health patterns.”
One of the more interesting facets to this new national program model is the partnership with local colleges. Internship programs have been created so that college students can obtain credit by becoming on-site mentors and coordinators for these teens. They identify with them in such a profound way that they naturally empower them to “make health happen” in their lives and in those of those around them. It’s a win for the teens and a win for the college mentors who receive college credit and pride of making a difference in kids’ lives.
These new formal partnerships with local universities, including the University of Houston, University of Houston- Downtown, Texas Southern University and Houston Community College Main Campus are a vital part of the success of the program model.
In these uncertain and too-often tumultuous times, mental resilience is a mandatory life skill. It is the epitome of health and wellbeing, opening the door to other good health choices such as self-love, goal setting, adapting to situations, dealing with stress or trauma, relationships, avoiding dangerous behaviors and so much more.
We will always have challenging life events. But making sure children have the tools to navigate their own wellbeing through life is at an all-time high. HealthCorps is proud to play a role in providing kids those tools to take ownership of their health and lead productive lives — and it invites potential school partners to reach out to them, as they encourage members of the Houston community who believe it their city’s teens to join them.
Keep Reading
Show less
WITH OIL AND GAS (O&G) companies realizing record profits in 2022, the outlook for the sector in 2023—unlike the broader economy—continues to be cautiously optimistic. For professionals like me, an attorney specializing in the O&G space, this is welcome news.
In good times and bad, energy companies rely on sound legal counsel for representation in courtrooms and boardrooms nationwide. Michelman & Robinson, LLP, tasked me with launching an office in Houston for this very reason.
Starting Off With a Bang (Pun Intended)
In January 2022, I joined M&R and opened the doors to its second office in Texas. M&R is a nationally recognized law firm headquartered in Los Angeles, with additional locations in San Francisco, Irvine, Dallas, Chicago, New York City and now, Houston, the branch I continue to build as Office Managing Partner.
Thus far, the reach of M&R Houston has been phenomenal. My office houses the firm’s specialty practice group focused on the O&G and renewables industries, and my mandate has been to move the needle within the energy sector and serve an ever-growing client base in that space. Toward that end, my team and I have been running on all cylinders, handling a wide array of litigation and transactional work, not only in Texas, but throughout the nation’s O&G-producing hubs.
One of those cases was a royalty-related lawsuit filed in New Martinsville, West Virginia against my client, the nation’s largest natural gas producer. Last summer, that courtroom battle made headlines from coast to coast when the openly hostile presiding judge pulled a Colt .45 pistol that was holstered under his robe and aimed it at me during a hearing in the midst of trial.
This was undoubtedly the most jarring and outrageous episode of my career, but undeterred, I was able to resolve the case, in which the plaintiffs sought hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Shortly after the judge’s threatening display, I extracted critical admissions from the plaintiffs’ witnesses during cross-examination, leading to a confidential settlement highly favorable for my client.
A Two-Pronged Crusade
Since the showdown in West Virginia, I have been on a mission running parallel tracks. First, given the incident in New Martinsville, I am doing all I can to root out corruption within the legal bar and the judiciary, while advocating that all litigants must be given equal access to justice in West Virginia and beyond. At the same time, I am championing growth at M&R Houston, striving to further penetrate the O&G markets in Texas and elsewhere. These efforts are proving to be quite fruitful.
My office has more than doubled in size since its inception, and we have only just begun. My ever-expanding team and I are handling high-stakes, “bet the company” lawsuits in state and federal courts nationwide—cases involving environmental contamination, royalties (as mentioned), disputes between producers, and energy and commodity markets. Outside the courtroom, we provide ongoing advice and counsel on the acquisition and divestiture of O&G properties and midstream assets, O&G production and business operations, O&G leases, accounting obligations to interest owners, and royalty payment practices.
A Nod to Female Representation
What I am particularly proud of are my efforts to build a team comprised of men and women alike. Truth be told, representation among female lawyers in the energy sector is a mixed bag. On the plus side, women are fairly well represented in in-house legal departments industry-wide. This is an inspiration to me and the other women I work closely with, and, in my view, the lady lawyers working in-house are hitting it out of the park. Unfortunately, law firms are not keeping pace, and there is still much to be done to get more women associates and partners acting on behalf of O&G clients.
Given the want of female energy attorneys in law firms, it is quite a statement that M&R named me as its Houston Office Managing Partner. I am happy to report that I am building upon that momentum by adding remarkable female talent to our ranks.
Looking Forward
I am energized about what is in store for us at M&R going forward. If my journey thus far is any indication, things are certainly looking up—just as they are for the broader O&G space.
Of course, I am mindful of the downturn being experienced across other industries and that not all energy companies are flourishing. I also understand that when the economy is in turmoil, lawyers and law firms can be a godsend. As such, I hope to be of help to clients no matter their financial circumstances.
All that being said, my message is simply this: the M&R flag has been planted in Houston, and we are here to serve.
Lauren Varnado manages the Houston office of Michelman & Robinson, LLP, a national law firm based in Los Angeles that represents clients in a host of areas, such as complex and class action litigation and employment, corporate & securities, regulatory, white-collar defense & investigations, cybersecurity, privacy, real estate, and bankruptcy matters. The firm does so for individuals and entities across industries, including the advertising & digital media, banking & financial services, cannabis, hospitality, insurance, music & entertainment, retail & apparel and technology spaces. A sought-after, award-winning litigator and head of the firm’s energy practice, Lauren can be contacted at lvardado@mrllp.com or (713) 422-2121.
Keep Reading
Show less