Shepherd’s Hope providing free physicals for children in need

Shepherd’s Hope will provide free back‐to‐school and sports physicals for local uninsured and under‐insured children at four Shepherd’s Hope health centers — including the West Orange Health Center — through July 29.

The local center is at 455 Ninth St., Winter Garden. Appointments can be made for the following dates and times: 4 to 7 p.m. July 15, 21 and 28; and 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 24.

The free back‐to‐school physicals include general health assessments and sports physicals with a specialist, as well as dental, vision and hearing screenings at select locations.

New for this year will be electrocardiogram screenings for student athletes, which is now required in Orange, Osceola and Volusia counties.

An ECG, or EKG, records the electrical signal from your heart to check for different heart conditions. 

Funding to support this initiative is being provided by a grant from the Harper Family Charitable Foundation, which provides for the health, education, maintenance and well‐being of disabled children and adults of all ages in the Central Florida area.

“Before the pandemic, nearly 30,000 children were without health insurance in Central Florida,” said Pam Gould, Shepherd’s Hope president and CEO. “We know with over 300,000 people on unemployment in May that there is an escalated need for free back-to‐school physicals this year. Families are struggling with being displaced from their jobs and their healthcare coverage.”

To qualify, children up to age 18 must be uninsured or under‐insured. Appointments are necessary. Following the completion of their physical exam, they will receive the required Florida Department of Health form (DOH 3040) which meets the state requirement for enrollment in public or private school.

For eligibility assessment and appointments, call (407) 876‐6699, Ext. 246. For further information, visit ShepherdsHope.org.