Investing in Whole-Person Care Across Orange County
For Edwards Lifesciences, community impact is about more than philanthropy — it is about investing in organizations that expand access to care and strengthen the health of underserved communities across Orange County.
Headquartered in Irvine, Edwards Lifesciences partners with organizations like Share Ourselves to help address the complex health and social challenges facing local families and individuals.
“Orange County is known as being a more affluent location,” said Stefaan Poortman, Senior Director of Global Corporate Giving Strategy & Programs at Edwards Lifesciences. “But we know that there are 4 million residents in Orange County, and I think almost half of those are living at or below the poverty line or receiving health assistance. And so it’s really important for us to be a steward and to strengthen the communities within which our employees come and where we are headquartered.”
Through the Edwards Lifesciences Foundation, the company supports initiatives focused on health access, education, and economic opportunity — addressing the broader social determinants that impact long-term health outcomes. Edwards currently supports approximately 70 nonprofit organizations across Orange County through its Strengthen Our Community initiative, and last year, 88% of Edwards employees globally participated in some form of charitable activity.
“In Orange County, we continue to see significant gaps in access to care, particularly for individuals and families facing financial, systemic, and geographic barriers,” the Edwards Lifesciences team shared. “Preventive care, chronic disease management, mental health and wellbeing, food insecurity, and access to primary and specialty services remain ongoing challenges — especially for underserved populations.”
For Edwards Lifesciences, partnering with Share Ourselves is a natural extension of its commitment to improving health outcomes and expanding access to compassionate, whole-person care.
“Share Ourselves plays a critical role in addressing these needs by providing accessible, integrated health and social services to those who might otherwise go without care,” the Edwards Lifesciences team said. “Their focus on compassionate, whole-person support aligns closely with Edwards’ belief that improving health outcomes requires addressing the broader realities people face in their daily lives.”
That shared commitment to prevention and access to care is also reflected in Edwards’ signature philanthropic initiatives, including Every Heartbeat Matters.
“Every Heartbeat Matters is the centerpiece of our philanthropy and reflects our commitment to improving access to care for underserved structural heart patients,” the Edwards Lifesciences team explained. “Since launching in 2014, the initiative and its partners have helped improve the lives of more than four million patients globally through detection, treatment, and recovery efforts.”
The organization’s newest awareness effort, Stay in the Race, further reflects its commitment to prevention and heart health education.
“Heart disease is the number one killer,” said Kaitlin Corell, Manager, Global Corporate Giving at Edwards Lifesciences. “And what I did not realize before even joining this company was it’s the number one killer in women. One in four women will die of heart disease, which is unbelievable.”
Correll added, “The reason I think initiatives like Stay in the Race are so important is that it goes so undertreated and undetected most of the time.”
“Partnerships like the one with Share Ourselves allow us to extend our impact far beyond what we could accomplish alone,” the Edwards Lifesciences team shared. “Meaningful collaboration is built on trust, shared values, and a commitment to long-term impact.”
Together, Share Ourselves and Edwards Lifesciences continue working to expand access to compassionate, whole-person care for underserved individuals and families across Orange County.
