Our Story
Learn About Well-Ahead Louisiana
We’re pretty proud of our way of life in Louisiana, but our lifestyle has a big impact on our overall health. While our state is known for its great food, music and festivals, we are also well known for our unhealthy lifestyle choices, causing us to be one of the lowest ranking states in the country for overall health, and lead the nation in statistics for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, tobacco use and other chronic diseases. Well-Ahead Louisiana, the chronic disease prevention and healthcare access arm of the Louisiana Department of Health, works with community leaders to improve our state’s health statistics without giving up the traditions that we love. Together, we can make the healthy choice the easy choice for all residents!
Our Vision
Our health affects every aspect of life in our communities, from educational achievement to employee productivity, to safety and crime, life expectancy—even happiness. That’s why Well-Ahead Louisiana’s vision is to reduce the burden of chronic disease and assure access to quality healthcare for all Louisiana residents.
Our Mission: Connect Louisiana Communities to a Healthier Future
Well-Ahead drives collaboration throughout the state and connects communities to tools and resources that can improve the health of our residents where they live, work, learn, play and pray.
Our Approach
We understand that health is multifactorial. According to County Health Rankings, health behaviors and clinical care account for 50% of what affects health, while socioeconomic factors and physical environment are responsible for the other 50%. We all know that making healthy choices like eating well, moving more, living tobacco free and visiting a doctor influence health. But, it’s not enough to just know how to be healthy. We recognize that the social and physical environments around us also determine our health. Our residents need to be surrounded with practical, readily available healthy options to consistently make healthy choices. This means that health starts where we live, work, learn, play and pray.
Partnering with Louisiana Leaders
We work alongside leaders at key organizations across the state—child care centers, colleges and universities, faith-based organizations, healthcare facilities, restaurants, schools and worksites—helping them to create environments in which everyone can be healthy.
We believe that everyone has a role to play in connecting Louisiana communities to a healthier future. We are committed to educating and empowering leaders across the state with actionable steps to move Louisiana’s health forward.
Together, we can bring about meaningful change. And when we do, our children will be able to enjoy our favorite things even longer.