The Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation (CBWF) is a grass-roots, community-based non-profit organization, with a long-standing history of providing services to those in our community that are often disenfranchised, taking on causes to fill gaps in services that no other agency provides. Current services include primary health care, mental health and substance abuse programs, infectious disease testing, education and linkage to treatment, and youth education to provide information on the dangers of drug use.

CBWF was founded in 1986, as the Coastal Bend AIDS Foundation, by a group of concerned citizens, who wanted to help people dying of AIDS. The group started by delivering food and blankets from the trunk of a car. As the disease became more chronic rather than acute, and funding became available for additional services, the agency grew to provide additional support services for those living with HIV and AIDS.

In 2012, the board of directors decided to change the name of the agency, to better fit the array of services provided. Today, the Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation still honors its founding members by providing HIV/AIDS-specific medical treatment and support services, but also encompasses programs for the entire community.

In 2015, CBWF became a federally qualified health center. We now are proud to be able to provide primary health care to anyone, regardless of the ability to pay or insurance status. Since its inception, CBWF has consistently pursued the development of service programs that translated its mission statement from a planning concept into action, moving it towards the reality of a seamless continuation of health care and support services for those most in need.

We are proud of those brave people who started this agency in a time when there was so much fear and discrimination against those with HIV/AIDS. We continue in their footsteps, by never wavering in our commitment to identify the gaps of care in our community and seeking ways to feel those needs, only concerned with helping and making a difference. We do this all, for the sake of one.