After a student’s tragic death, former teacher Elizabeth Alegría founded Gramercy Specialty Clinic, a Texas-based behavioral healthcare organization focused on serving diverse populations and addressing mental health barriers in Latino communities. With a $150,000 investment from the Abbott-LISC Initiative to Support Diverse Businesses in Health, Alegría is expanding Gramercy’s virtual services and developing a technology app to scale the organization across several states.
There are pivotal moments in life that can lead people to their true calling. For former high school science teacher Elizabeth Alegría, that moment came when she learned that one of her students had died by suicide.
“I was one of the last people that spoke with him,” recalled Alegría. “Maybe I could have said something, done something. Maybe there were symptoms that I just didn't understand. It impacted me deeply, and I really felt like I needed to go back to school to learn more about mental health.”
Alegría, a Texas native, headed to New York City where she earned two graduate degrees in psychological counseling from Columbia University and completed training at Bellevue Hospital. She returned to Texas to work for a nonprofit mental health provider and then for an international health care services company. These experiences taught Alegría a lot about how to run the business side of a mental health operation, inspiring her to strike out on her own.
Today, Alegría is the CEO of Gramercy Specialty Clinic, a women-owned, Texas-based outpatient behavioral healthcare organization she founded 10 years ago. With offices in Austin, San Antonio and El Paso, Gramercy’s mission is to serve a diverse patient population while addressing barriers to mental health services for Latino populations. Alegría is dedicated to connecting clients to providers who are bilingual in English and Spanish, multiculturally sensitive, and available for in-person or virtual counseling. The virtual component is essential for clients who don’t have access to a reliable car or public transportation. Finances can also be an obstacle, which is why Gramercy accepts insurance, including Medicaid.
“I grew up with barriers all around me, so I know what it feels like,” said Alegría, who spent her childhood in a rural area near Laredo, Texas that did not have running water or electricity. “Being in a position where I'm now able to remove barriers for people is very fulfilling and incredibly satisfying.”
Alegría is working on a plan to expand Gramercy’s virtual services across Texas and to five other states with large Latino populations: California, Colorado, Florida, New Mexico and New York. Effectively reaching clients in these places will hinge on the right technology solution. With a $150,000 investment from the Abbott-LISC Initiative to Support Diverse Businesses in Health, Gramercy is building a technology app that will enable the organization to scale beyond its current capacities.
The current infrastructure requires that clients go through Gramercy’s administrative team to book an appointment. The app will allow clients to schedule their own appointments and see their own providers without the intervention of the administrative staff at Gramercy.
“Our new app is going to make care more readily available,” said Alegría. “If someone needs support at 2 a.m. on a Friday night, they can use the app to schedule a session as soon as possible. They won’t have to wait until Monday morning when the office opens to obtain the care they need.”
By reaching more people who have historically struggled to get mental health care, Gramercy’s expansion will help Alegría fulfill her life’s calling.
“This is the main driver of my life, and I wouldn't want to do anything else,” she said.