Alliance Medical Center’s New Windsor Wellness Space

In July, Alliance Medical Center opened Windsor Wellness, its new Behavioral Health offices located in central Windsor, as part of an expansion of its behavioral health services and in response to the significant need for bilingual and bicultural services in northern Sonoma County.

Simultaneously, Alliance has launched a Behavioral Health Talent Pathway program “to grow and retain a diverse mental health workforce by offering internships, clinical supervision, and career pathways for local students and early-career professionals,” according to Alliance CEO Sue Labbe, who says the new Windsor Wellness site was “born out of an urgent and growing need for accessible mental health services in northern Sonoma County.”

“Rates of anxiety, depression, trauma, and substance use continue to rise, particularly among low-income, Spanish-speaking, and rural residents,” she explains. “Our patients and providers have been struggling to access timely behavioral health care. In response, we launched a strategic initiative to expand our capacity and build a more sustainable, community-rooted behavioral health workforce.”

The expansion was made possible in part through a grant from Sonoma County funded by Measure O, approved by voters in 2020 to provide a steady and reliable source of funding to expand mental health and homelessness services over the next decade.

Additionally, the Healthcare Foundation awarded a grant to Alliance to help cover the cost of leasing the new Windsor Wellness space over its critical first year.

“This effort not only strengthens our workforce but also ensures that care remains rooted in the culture, language, and lived experiences of the people we serve.”

Sue Labbe, CEO, Alliance Medical Center

As an FQHC serving northern Sonoma County, Alliance has been a key partner in the Healthcare Foundation’s Mental Health Talent Pipeline, offering traineeships in which third-year USF graduate students in counseling psychology serve their largely Spanish-speaking patient population.
Alliance’s Behavioral Health Talent Pathway program—launched alongside the new Windsor site—builds directly on the Healthcare Foundation’s Mental Health Talent Pipeline initiative, offering paid internships and supervision for bilingual, bicultural providers.

“We are proud to take the next step by offering paid internships and associateships for bilingual, bicultural mental health professionals from our own community,” says Labbe. “We are now supporting them as they complete their clinical supervision hours and preparing them for long-term employment at Alliance. This effort not only strengthens our workforce but also ensures that care remains rooted in the culture, language, and lived experiences of the people we serve.”

Alliance Behavioral Health Director Maria Juarez Sanchez has been focused on the details of building that intentional, sustainable workforce. 

“My role has been to identify who we need as we expand, and what our MFT trainees and associates need in terms of clinical supervision. I’ve also been coordinating with our USF liaison to ensure we meet all their expectations for the third-year graduate trainees. We also built internal opportunities for licensed clinicians to become clinical supervisors, so the knowledge stays rooted here.”

Windsor Wellness provides a safe, culturally affirming space for in-person individual and group counseling, psychiatry, nutrition support, and acupuncture—services that are critical for many families who lack privacy at home (and therefore are less able to take advantage of online counseling options). 

“A large majority of our patient population is Spanish-speaking,” says Juarez Sanchez. “Many share living spaces and don’t have the privacy to connect with their therapist remotely. Having a dedicated, welcoming place to come in person has been transformative.”

Juarez Sanchez further credits the success of the launch to the experience and collaborative input gained from the recent onboarding of Nallely Ramirez, a 2024 Mental Health Talent Pipeline graduate now serving more than 100 Alliance patients as an MFT and Associate Professional Clinical Counselor.

“Nallely helped us understand exactly what trainees and associates need to thrive here,” says Juarez Sanchez.

The impact is already tangible. “Patients tell us they’re grateful to have a space where they can come in person and speak Spanish,” says Juarez Sanchez. “For some, it’s life-changing.”