ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Hundreds of central Florida residents will have a healthier holiday season. Thanks to a community initiative that brought together dozens of experts – offering free health care and dental care, primarily to the immigrant community.
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“We don’t have this opportunity to see specialists here because it’s costly and most of us don’t have health insurance,” said Maria Lemos, who needed a nutritionist but did not have insurance.
“I know I am having some health issues. I had some tests done in Brazil, so over here, I was like, what ‘am I going to do now?” she said as she got the help she needed.
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Like Lemos, hundreds of other patients showed up at the VIP clinic in Orange County on Saturday. They had access to health and dental care—and the best part, it was free. “Our community has 80% Brazilians and Latinos from South America,” said Cristina Faria with the VIP Clinic.
“A lot of people don’t have insurance, or they don’t qualify for their insurance, or they can’t pay.”
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The clinic has been around for decades, and through partnerships with the City of Orlando and Orange County, they’ve been able to host events like this each year.
“We try to make sure we help as many people as possible; we try to congregate professionals from different areas,” said Dr. Daniel Kitner, a primary care doctor who also came out supporting the event.
“Ultimately, the goal here is to ensure our team embraces the community. We do it for our community.”
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From doctors to nurses, therapists to dentists, and healthcare assistants, everyone volunteered their time to help the community.
“Health is a topic everyone is scared about. For different reasons: prices, the needles, doctors, and more,” said Dr. Ricardo Carrillo, a dentist who’s volunteered with the initiative for years.
We ask some questions about treatments and dental problems. We are cleaning, and we address any issues they may have.”
This is the VIP clinic’s final big event of the year, but they already have many other events organized for 2025. The plan is to ensure as many people as possible have access to health care, especially immigrants across Central Florida.
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