Our History

Our History

Over a Century of Healthcare

In 1911,
a series of “milk stations” were established across Chicago to provide nutritional support in order to combat high rates of infant mortality. The “milk stations” evolved into well-child clinics, and IWS continued to grow and innovate.
In 1912,
the Auxiliary formed to support the work of the Infant Welfare Society of Chicago. In 2012, the Auxiliary celebrated 100 years of service to IWS, raising 10s of millions of dollars over one century.
In 1924,
IWS pioneered and incorporated child development and behavioral health counseling.
In 1968,
IWS brought on two psychiatric social workers.
In 1970,
IWS led community health clinics by offering pediatric dentistry services.
In 1991,
IWS began offering pediatric orthodontic care and in 1995, offering pediatric optometry.
In 2015,
IWS launched the Child-centered Health and Advanced Therapies (CHAT) program to provide assessments for developmental delays in children from low-income family, as well as early access to both speech and occupational therapy.
In 2017,
IWS began serving men in the adult health program and incorporated a Care Coordination model to connect patients with necessary treatments and social services.
In 2018,
IWS launched a Centering Pregnancy™ program, a group prenatal program.
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Our Story . . .

Watch the video to see a glimpse into our story, and click the button below to get in-depth details of how we got started, where we’ve been, and where we’re headed!