PROMOTING
HEALTHY LIVING
AND
EQUALITY
FOR ALL
ABOUT US
CLASS, Healthy Living for All… is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) community-based organization located in Alexandria, Louisiana.
For more than thirty years, CLASS has been dedicated exclusively to the creation of a more equitable Louisiana through the provision of services designed to foster collaboration, eliminate barriers, and meet the needs of the people we serve.
What originated as a collective of volunteers supporting people living with HIV and their loved ones has evolved into a robust network serving all of the Louisiana Department of Health Region VI’s nearly 7,000 square miles, including Avoyelles, Catahoula, Concordia, Grant, LaSalle, Rapides, Vernon, and Winn Parishes.
Although CLASS has grown the conditions under which CLASS was originally established still exist. As such, CLASS’ mission remains the same: to improve the quality of life of all people by promoting access to inclusive and affirming education, healthcare, and supportive services.
OUR HISTORY
Central Louisiana AIDS Support Services was established in response to the hysteria surrounding what was, at the time, an unknown illness. As there was so little knowledge about HIV and AIDS, virulent stigma surrounded those who were affected, creating barriers which reduced or prevented access to what little healthcare and supportive services existed at the time.
Through the coordinated efforts of community volunteers, Central Louisiana AIDS Support Services created a network of volunteers which provided education, preventative services, and supportive care for those individuals and communities devastated by the AIDS epidemic.
However, as the AIDS epidemic grew, so did the need for services, eliciting CLASS to grow in tandem to accommodate these increased needs, eventually culminating in Central Louisiana AIDS Support Services incorporating as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1987.
Since incorporating in 1987, CLASS has worked tirelessly to ensure that all people have access to the resources and services which will help them to live healthier, more fulfilling lives.
OUR MISSION AND VALUES
Though CLASS initially began as a service organization intended to specifically meet the needs of people living with HIV in Central Louisiana, and appreciable time and effort is still dedicated towards preventing and treating HIV through direct services, advocacy, education and awareness; CLASS has increasingly adopted a transformative philosophy regarding the delivery of supportive services.
We have been leading efforts focused on ending epidemic, fighting stigma, and promoting health for all by shifting to a practice which systematizes access to holistic, comprehensive individual care in order to facilitate the establishment of healthier, more equitable communities for all people, but especially among those most marginalized. CLASS adopts this philosophy with the recognition that these efforts reduce rates of HIV transmission by accounting for the whole complex structure of social inequity and the determinants which drive inequality.
OUR GOALS
- To serve all communities affected by HIV while ensuring a comprehensive service delivery response proportionate to severe health disparities within communities;
- To improve knowledge of HIV status by increasing access and utilization of testing resources;
- To reduce new HIV infections by supporting access to scientifically accurate education and effective preventative interventions;
- To support linkage to and retention in care to improve health-related outcomes;
- To facilitate the restructuring and elimination of antiquated laws which wrongfully criminalize statuses and promote discriminatory behaviors.
MEET OUR FUNDERS AND PARTNERS
