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UT Gives a Hand to Champion of Volunteerism
The San Jose Clinic, a low-cost clinic that receives a helping hand from numerous physicians, students and staff at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, has won one of Gov. Rick Perry’s Champion of Volunteerism Awards for 2005.
The downtown clinic, a nonprofit United Way agency founded by the Archdiocese of Galveston- Houston, serves as a training ground for UT medical residents and dental hygiene students.
The clinic, which won in the group category of the annual Governor’s Volunteer Awards, was recognized for community service contributions to fellow Texans.
OneStar Foundation, Texas’ nonprofit corporation created by Perry to support and promote volunteerism, administered a statewide nomination process and a two-tiered award selection process. The San Jose Clinic was one of nine award recipients selected from hundreds of nominations.
“We are thrilled to receive the award,” said Stacie J. Cokinos, executive director of the San Jose Clinic. “It’s a wonderful accolade to our 285 volunteers. Through their commitment to San Jose Clinic, we are able to provide comprehensive health care to over 5,000 low-income, uninsured people every year.”
UT Health Science Center employees who serve in a variety of capacities at the clinic include: Francisco Fuentes, M.D., professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology and the Theodore R. and Maureen O’Driscoll Levy Endowed Professor in Cardiology Research; Philip Orlander, M.D., professor and director of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism; Adelaide Hebert, M.D., professor and director of pediatric dermatology; Guy Clifton, M.D., professor and holder of the Nancy, Clive and Pierce Runnells Distinguished Chair in Neurosurgery; Jayne McWherter, registered dental hygienist and an associate professor of dental hygiene who sends students to the San Jose Dental Clinic to treat patients; and Mary Frances Fabrizio, an administrative services officer at Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital.
By Meredith Raine, Public Affairs