The Edgewater Health First Ladies Initiative is a collaboratory of community partners and healthcare providers committed to advancing health equity in Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland. Our goal is to improve the social determinants of health equity* for uninsured, underinsured, and underserved people in the region by 2026.
Our approach is to address the needs of the whole person – mind, body, and spirit – through educational programming, crisis care stabilization, and primary healthcare screenings and treatment in partnership with our network of congregations, community partners, physicians, and providers.

Social Determinants of Health Equity as defined by the World Health Organization and the U.N.:
• Income and social protection
• Education
• Unemployment and job insecurity
• Working life conditions
• Food insecurity
• Housing, basic amenities and the environment
• Early childhood development
• Social inclusion and non-discrimination
• Structural conflict
• Access to affordable health services of decent quality.