NEW ORLEANS — On April 4, Louisiana First Lady Donna Edwards was honored by Eden House Nola for her leadership in bringing public awareness to the problem of human trafficking in Louisiana.
“We are honored to have First Lady Donna Edwards visit our new Eden Emergency Center,” said Kara Van de Carr, the nonprofit’s founder. “The center is the first of its kind in the nation to partner with a hospital, and we thank LCMC Health for making that possible. We are extremely grateful to Donna Edwards and honored to recognize her for her tireless efforts to combat human trafficking. She has been an inspiration, and she has pledged that she and the governor will continue this important fight well into the future.”
Joining Edwards, Van de Carr and other Eden Center stakeholders at the event was Greg Feirn, CEO of LCMC Health; Manny Linares, CEO of Touro; Ayame Dinkler, CAO of LCMC Health; and a host of community partners, volunteers and donors.
“What an incredible moment celebrating the new Eden Emergency Center,” said Edwards. “For years I’ve said that victims of human trafficking should not have to spend the night in a jail or be incarcerated for their own safety. Having safe, stable housing in partnership with a medical facility brings needed services to survivors that aid in their recovery. Thanks to the groundbreaking work between Eden Centers for Hope and Healing and LCMC Health, survivors in New Orleans now have this resource available to them. This is the start of something incredible – and hopefully a resource we can provide statewide one day.”
