PICTURE FROM L to R: Deann Patena, Jerome Ezell, Bernard Carter, Laresse Harris, DNP, Richard Hardaway, Deanna Prince, Senator Lonnie Randolph, IN-District 2, Dr. Danita Johnson, Dr. Chiedu Nchekwube, Carol Cody, Tracy Williams, Jose “Lupe” Valtierra, Colleen Ramquist, Larry Brewer, Michael Griffin, and Reggie Robinson.
Edgewater Health expanded its footprint to include a new clinic in Merrillville last week and marked the occasion with a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house at the 5495 Broadway location.
Dr. Danita Johnson, President and CEO, Edgewater Health, greeted guests at the standing-room-only ribbon-cutting event which took place on Thursday, October 30th. The ceremony was attended by Edgewater Health board members, elected officials, community leaders, and representatives from the Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce. “Edgewater Health is gearing up to celebrate 50 years of healthcare excellence in 2024. Opening our new family medicine and integrative medicine clinic here in Merrillville, on the threshold of that accomplishment, is a significant milestone,” Dr. Johnson said.
Jose Lupe Valtierra, Edgewater Health’s board chair, had this to say, “I am incredibly proud to have witnessed Edgewater’s growth, from its beginnings in behavioral care services to its expansion into family medicine, its opening of the Cedar Lake clinic in 2021 with an emphasis on family medicine and women’s health, and now, this new enterprise into Merrillville. I am proud to play a role in an organization that can boast 50 years of steady growth and give-back to the community.”
Deann Patena, President and CEO of Crossroads Regional Chamber of Commerce, was present to speak to the importance of the practice in Merrillville and to lend a hand in the ceremony. As one of Crossroad’s newest members, Edgewater Health joins the largest chamber in northwest Indiana with over 700 members.
The celebration continued Saturday, October 28th, at a free, family-friendly open house event. Community members were able to take advantage of blood glucose, blood pressure, and BMI screenings. Trunk-or-treaters donned costumes and lined up for face painting, while their parents and friends practiced meditation and learned the ten habits of happy and healthy people delivered in a lecture by none other than Dr. Nchekwube. No stranger to the Merrillville community, Dr. Nchekwube, along with Laresse Harris, DNP, will be the lead providers at the new location.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Nchekwube, call 844-4-Edgewater (844-433-4392) and speak to one of their friendly receptionists.
For more information about Edgewater Health, visit www.edgewaterhealth.org.
