Orange County Medical Clinic to offer free health screenings this week

In recognition of National Diabetes Month, the Orange County Medical Clinic will offer free health screenings to county residents this week, beginning Wednesday through Friday afternoon.

The county medical clinic, a public facility located just west of downtown Orlando at 101 S. Westmoreland Drive, will accept patients for screenings on a first-come, first-served basis. No health insurance is required, and all members of the public are welcome, a county spokesperson confirmed.

Staff at the medical clinic will be able to screen for factors related to diabetes, such as blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and body mass index (BMI) upon request.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 38 million Americans currently live with diabetes, and roughly 1.2 million Americans receive a new diagnosis of the chronic condition every year. Diabetes is a condition marked by high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia, and can be diagnosed at any age (although Type 1 is more commonly diagnosed in children and young adults, while Type 2 is more commonly diagnosed in adults over age 40).

Diabetes can lead to severe and potentially life-threatening health complications, including heart disease and kidney failure. As of 2023, diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death nationwide.

On Wednesday, screenings will be offered at the Orange County Medical Clinic from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. On Thursday, they will be offered from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., and on Friday, screenings will be available from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Health screenings will be provided outside the clinic in a mobile medical unit operated by the County Outreach Awareness Community Health team. The COACH program was launched by the county in 2024 to provide healthcare resources to underserved populations at no cost. According to KFF, Florida has one of the highest uninsured rates in the U.S., with about 13 percent of Floridians lacking any kind of healthcare coverage altogether.

The population of people without health insurance — or the ability to afford healthcare — is expected to grow by 4 to 5 million nationwide next year if Congress allows tax credits applied to Affordable Care Act health plans to expire. Those tax credits, enacted in 2021 under the Biden administration, have helped make healthcare more affordable through the ACA Healthcare Marketplace for roughly 22 million Americans. They’ve been a central issue perpetuating the federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1, due to disagreement between Democrats and Republicans on their extension.

According to U.S. Congressman Maxwell Frost (D-FL), nearly 200,000 people in his Orlando district alone could face hikes to their healthcare premiums if the tax credits expire.

“Families are opening their renewal letters and facing sticker shock of seeing their premiums for healthcare go up anywhere from 50 to 300 percent,” Frost said at a press conference last week, sharing anecdotes that he has received from constituents. “People are being forced to make impossible choices. Do I pay for my health care, or do I not have health care? Do I have enough money to pay for my rent, for my food?”

One person who’s at risk for losing his healthcare coverage (or at the very least, paying a heck of a lot more) is Nathan Boye, a husband and father of three with diabetes. Boye, who lives in Frost’s district, currently pays $28 a month for his healthcare plan through the ACA Marketplace. If the healthcare subsidies expire, however, he says the same health plan he currently has could cost him upward of $700 a month, according to a letter he received from his insurance provider.

“We deserve a system where staying healthy is not a luxury, but one that we can all enjoy,” Boye argued, standing beside Frost last week. “I’m going to be forced to make impossible choices that, you know, I mean, essentially means that I could survive another day. No family should have to face that.”

The U.S. Senate reached a controversial deal Sunday, approved Monday in a 60-40 vote, that would end the government shutdown, but does not include any guarantees on extending the ACA tax credits. Most of the Senate Democrats opposed it — due to its failure to deliver their key demand — save for eight lawmakers (seven Democrats and one independent) who defected and joined Republicans in approval. Congressman Frost has said he’s personally opposed to it.

“Unacceptable,” he described it, in a post published to X on Sunday. “I won’t do that to the people I represent. I’m a NO on this ‘deal.’”

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Orange County Medical Clinic to offer free health screenings this week

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