August 19, 2008

Community Leadership Award Ambassador Profile - Mark Nichols, D.D.S
Bering Omega Community Services - Houston Awarded $10K from
St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities

Dr. Nichols began volunteering at the Bering Dental Clinic in 1987, when little was understood about AIDS and no proven dental infection protocols existed. Dr. Nichols and his colleagues developed many of the protocols used today and he has become one of the foremost experts in the world concerning oral diseases found in compromised immune systems, such as those found in HIV/AIDS patients. He is an internationally recognized leader in HIV-specific dentistry and has trained dentists from the United States, Africa, China, India and South America.

For the first time, five additional grant recipients have been selected this year as “Ambassadors” and received $10,000 for the non-profit agency of their choice, bringing the total award amount to $100,000.

“This year we faced the insurmountable task of choosing one winner among many exceptional nominees,” said The Rt. Rev. Dena A. Harrison, Bishop Suffragan for the Episcopal Diocese of Texas and board chair for St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities. “In order to better serve the needs of the community, we decided to award five more community leaders as Ambassadors because of their personal accomplishments and extraordinary community health leadership.”

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St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities, the largest Houston charity devoted solely to healthcare, was created in 1997 as a separate component of St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System. St. Luke's Episcopal Health Charities melds together the healing ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas and the healing mission of St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System to promote community health across the Episcopal Diocese. Since its inception, it has awarded more than 1200 grants totaling more than $70 million to nonprofit service organizations in the Houston area and 32 Texas counties, targeting disease prevention and health promotion among the underserved.