Dear Stakeholders,
Throughout 2017 and the first part of 2018, we developed a strategic road map for the Saint
Luke’s Foundation. Through a very thoughtful process, strengthened by earnest collaboration
between board and staff, we realized our prime objective is to work toward health equity.
Prior to that, we had three important, yet largely separate, strategies, all of which tied
together in service to addressing health and poverty. We dedicated years of human and
financial resources to forwarding our strategies and we are proud of that work and the
partnerships we developed in carrying it out. But, we lacked that one true “North Star”
to guide us and direct our work. This singular purpose now firmly in place, is to work
toward a world of health equity for all. With this purpose in mind, we have been able to
articulate a clearer mission and vision to guide us.
Our vision is that “People thrive as a result of living free of racism and poverty and
experiencing equitable economic opportunities and conditions that enable them to lead
healthier lives.”
Our mission is to “Achieve health equity by addressing the social determinants of health in
Cuyahoga County and in the neighborhood surrounding Saint Luke’s."
Simply put, “health equity” describes a world in which everyone has a fair opportunity to
live a long, healthy life, that is not negatively impacted by race, ethnicity, gender, income,
sexual orientation, neighborhood or other social condition. Of course, we know that healthy
equity does not yet exist. Life expectancies vary widely by zip code across our county. Eighty
percent of what determines a person’s health are social determinants – housing, healthy food,
healthy behaviors, safety, greenspace, stress, education and place. Improving those social
determinants is how the Saint Luke’s Foundation now chooses to make our impact on health, in
partnership with community stakeholders and grantees.
Going forward, the Saint Luke’s Foundation will focus on impacting efforts around:
We are inviting partners to be intentional in this fight for equity, opportunity
and health. This is an issue of race, poverty and access and we can make a difference
together as a community.
My best,