Alivio Medical Center Careers in Chicago, IL

In the 1980s, Carmen Velásquez, Alivio’s founder and former Executive Director, and Dr. Ann Garcelon, a colleague of Ms. Velásquez who was affiliated with Mercy Medical Center, were involved in issues surrounding access to healthcare for Spanish-speaking people. Ms. Velásquez found that few Spanish-speaking patients were being served at Mercy, which was located in close proximity to Pilsen. The healthcare of these families was severely neglected because they were uninsured and undocumented, making them afraid to access care where no healthcare providers spoke their language.