2025 Grantee Spotlight: Alliance Medical Center
Alliance Medical Center at the 2025 Healdsburg Future Farmers Twilight Parade with their Mobile Vision Van.
We spoke with Susannah Labbe, Chief Executive Officer of Alliance Medical Center, about the past year and how the organization continued to meet growing community health needs across north county. In this Q&A, Susannah shares how Healdsburg Forever’s 2025 grant funding supported essential services, how Alliance navigated a complex policy and funding landscape, and what progress and priorities emerged along the way.
Q: How was Healdsburg Forever’s 2025 grant used, and why was this support important?
Healdsburg Forever’s support was used for general operating expenses that directly sustain our core medical, dental, behavioral health, and care coordination services. This type of funding is among the most meaningful we receive because it allows us to stay responsive to community needs.
The grant helped cover essential costs such as clinical staffing, patient navigation, technology, and supplies needed to keep access stable for low-income and uninsured families. Flexible operating support ensures we can maintain consistent care, even as demand and external conditions change.
Q: What impact did this funding have on patients and the community this year?
With your support, Alliance provided thousands of medical, dental, behavioral health, and preventive visits to residents in Healdsburg and Geyserville. We expanded our behavioral health team, increasing access to Spanish-speaking mental health services, and strengthened care coordination for patients with chronic and complex health needs through our Enhanced Care Management team.
We also continued to support local farmworkers and their families by improving access to primary care, vision services, and referrals through close partnerships with Corazón, Reach for Home, and local school districts. Your investment helped ensure our community’s most vulnerable residents had a reliable medical home during a year of significant need.
Q: What were the biggest challenges Alliance faced this year, and how did you respond?
One of our most significant challenges has been navigating an increasingly unstable federal political landscape and uncertainty around policies that directly affect immigrant families, Medi-Cal beneficiaries, and community health centers. These shifts created anxiety for many patients and required us to increase communication, outreach, and reassurance so families continued to seek care without fear or interruption.
At the same time, rising operational costs and growing demand for behavioral health services placed ongoing pressure on our system. We responded by strengthening community partnerships, expanding behavioral health access, and investing in care coordination to maintain stability and continuity of care for our patients.
Q: How have policy changes and service demand shaped your work?
Changes in Medi-Cal reimbursement, the continued implementation of CalAIM, and evolving behavioral health regulations required significant operational adjustments this year. These shifts affected workflows and staffing models, but our focus remained on ensuring uninterrupted, high-quality care.
Demand increased across medical, dental, and behavioral health services, particularly for mental health care, chronic disease management, and supportive services for families experiencing economic stress. Flexible funding allowed us to adapt quickly as needs grew.
Q: Looking ahead, what developments or priorities are shaping Alliance’s future?
We welcomed several new clinical and operational leaders this year, including a new Site Medical Director in Windsor and additional behavioral health team members. While our leadership and staffing continue to evolve, our mission and strategic direction remain consistent: expanding access, investing in integrated care, and strengthening health equity across our region.
We are deeply grateful for Healdsburg Forever’s longstanding commitment to accessible, culturally responsive health care. This partnership strengthens the health and resilience of entire families, and we are honored to continue this work together.
To learn more about Alliance Medical Center, visit alliancemed.org.
