At 16 years old, Nayeli Diaz was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. Nayeli went from being a normal teenager who enjoyed activities with her friends to a teenager with metastatic cancer, embarrassed to step outside with a colostomy bag. After some difficult months of fighting off the metastatic cancer with treatment and trips in and out of the children’s hospital, an obstruction sent her to the emergency room and resulted in the removal of the largest and only tumor left in her body.

At Grace Medical Home, we understand the profound impact mental health has on overall well-being. Our mission is to continuously support and empower our patients, especially the youngest ones, through innovative and compassionate care. Among our various initiatives, we are particularly proud of our art classes designed to nurture creativity, self-expression, and emotional resilience in our pediatric patients.

In June, we held a series of enriching art classes aimed at fostering emotional awareness and coping skills. These sessions provided a safe and encouraging space for children to explore their feelings and express themselves through different artistic techniques.

Lorenza Rodriguez had suffered with trigeminal neuralgia for over 20 years. Trigeminal Neuralgia is a severely painful condition of the facial nerve which spreads across the cheeks, jaw, lips, and nose. It causes electrical shock type of pain with talking, eating, or brushing your teeth; even the wind or AC blowing on your face is painful. It can be so bad that there are reported suicides due to this excruciatingly painful condition.

Inside the walls of Grace Medical Home, it’s a given that you will always get top-notch medical care by some of the best providers in the area. This means they will address all your health needs thoroughly—from reviewing your medical history, explaining lab results in depth, setting up specialist appointments, and even scheduling in-house mental health counseling. But that’s only ONE kind of care you’ll find at Grace.

Nancy’s daughter, Amber, was referred to Grace Medical Home by Shepherd’s Hope  when they discovered that Amber had low blood platelets and would need further care. “We called Grace and immediately we were scheduled for an appointment to meet with Patient Registration,” recalls Nancy.

Carlene first came to Grace Medical Home in 2011 for regular checkups due to severe bronchitis triggered by allergies and lower back pain. During a routine checkup, her  primary care provider, Michelle Cornell, APRN, discussed Carlene’s elevated blood sugar, A1c and weight gain. Her elevated A1c and weight gain placed her in the prediabetic stage. Michelle provided a list of resources to help reduce Carlene’s diabetic risk.

My name is Joselyn and I am a Medical Assistant here at Grace Medical Home.

I first became part of the Grace family as a pediatric patient. At the age of 16, I was admitted to the hospital and required an immediate blood transfusion. After being hospitalized for two weeks, they finally sent me home, but I had to follow up with a physician. At the time, I did not qualify for any insurance.

Grace partnered with VSP Vision Care to provide more than 130 patients with the gift of sight last month.

During their three-day visit, VSP doctors and volunteers served Grace patients in the VSP Vision Care bus, giving them comprehensive eye exams and new prescription glasses at no cost.

“They helped me so much when I needed it most.” Georgette Pinango held back tears when explaining how ill she was when she first became a Grace Medical Home patient several years ago. “I was really ill. I needed a lot of imaging, sonograms, my kidneys were failing. And I did not have insurance. Just one of the tests was a couple thousand dollars. I don’t know what I would have done without Grace,” she said.

Offering the highest level of health care sometimes means that Grace Medical Home staff members venture outside the walls of Grace to serve their patients. For our pediatric team, it means going back to school.

When Hilda Merino-Chavez began pursuing her dream of becoming a doctor, she could never have predicted the long journey and everywhere this path would take her. It was a journey of 2,000 miles, from Ecuador in South America to Orlando, Florida – straight through Grace Medical Home.

Giovanna’s son, Fabrizio, was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder three years ago. He was only two-years-old. Then the pandemic hit; she wasn’t able to do anything about the diagnosis when the world shut down.

Foot pain initially brought Valter to Grace in 2017.

Valter remembers, “When I first came (to Grace) with Miss Kit (former Patient Registration volunteer), after I did the paperwork, I said ‘Ok, bye,’ and extended my hand. Miss Kit looked at me and said ‘We don’t shake hands here – we hug people.’” And then she gave him a big hug. “I have this in my mind forever,” Valter said with a big smile on his face.

First Presbyterian Church of Orlando is a founding partner of Grace Medical Home’s mission. The church consistently supports Grace’s work to ensure that no one misses the grace of God. And while their most recent donation is the most substantial gift to date, the story behind is a powerful illustration of how one small, generous gesture and God’s perfect timing can spark a movement.

After a trip to the hospital diagnosed Nikoletta with an unexpected chronic illness, she and her family were unsure where to turn when the cost of the necessary medication was too expensive.

Grace Medical Home has often been referred to as a family affair – that is especially true for the Fleming/Ivanek and Davis/Cash families.

Bishop Freddie Patton was welcomed into the Grace family with the help of his colleague, Pastor David Outing, and his intake specialist, Jonathan. Dealing with diabetes and high blood pressure,

Our mission is to o be a medical home reflecting the heart of Christ by offering the highest level of health care to those in our community who need it most. This is our story.

As Central Florida slowly takes steps toward a semblance of normalcy, many families are still feeling the devastating impacts of the pandemic. For Domingo and his wife Briseida, they are working hard to provide for their children.

When faced with a medical emergency, for many it’s as simple as calling their primary physician or visiting their local hospital. However, for the nearly one in four in Central Florida who lack health insurance, forgoing help is often the choice made to avoid medical bills.

Dr. Bijan Hakimian is no stranger to volunteering at Grace Medical Home. In fact, his arrival at Grace Medical Home is more of a homecoming.

While receiving his undergraduate degree at the University of Central Florida, Dr. Bijan was an active member of UCF Pre-Dental Student Association (PDSA) and served on the Executive Board as Secretary for the club. As a Pre-Dental Student, he volunteered at Harvest Time International and AdventHealth where Michelle Lawton, Grace’s Director of Dental Center Operations, helped create their dental programs. He kept in touch with Michelle , while attending dental school. When he returned to Orlando as a licensed provider, it was only natural that he came to Grace as a volunteer provider.

Lorenza Rodriguez had suffered with trigeminal neuralgia for over 20 years. Trigeminal Neuralgia is a severely painful condition of the facial nerve which spreads across the cheeks, jaw, lips, and nose. It causes electrical shock type of pain with talking, eating, or brushing your teeth; even the wind or AC blowing on your face is painful. It can be so bad that there are reported suicides due to this excruciatingly painful condition.

It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that we introduce you to the newest addition to our staff, Ella Bouriak, who has joined us as the Associate Director of Philanthropy. Ella brings with her a wealth of experience and a passion for making a difference in the lives of others through philanthropy.

Restoring our patients’ health and hope is a daunting task. One that we don’t take lightly and one that we can’t undertake by ourselves. We couldn’t do what we do without our valued volunteers and community partners. We recently honored these special friends at an Open House that also hosted two milestone ribbon cuttings for Grace Wellness Home and our Mobile Medical Unit.

Grace Medical Home recently welcomed two new members to their Board of Directors: Amanda Dukes, Professional On-Call for the Communications Division of Orange County Government, and Lisa Wong Shue, owner of Skyward Tax & Accounting Service.

Grace Medical Home's annual Patient Worship Service stands as a beacon of light in a world often shrouded in darkness. It is a place where the broken find healing, the weary find rest, and the lost find hope. Through prayer, praise, and testimonies of faith, lives are touched, hearts are renewed, and miracles unfold. In this sacred space, the journey from illness to wholeness is not merely physical but spiritual, as patients discover that true healing begins with a surrendered heart and a steadfast trust in the Lord.

Construction is underway for Grace Wellness Home to expand mental health and wellness initiatives for the uninsured. In addition to addressing patients’ physical, emotional, social and spiritual health, Grace will focus on individualized plans to improve wellness. Educating and equipping patients with additional wellness tools and developing new skills will further reduce stress, improve health outcomes and strengthen patients’ resilience.

Grace Medical Home celebrated a significant step in expanding whole-person care initiatives for the uninsured by kicking-off construction on Grace Wellness Home. Community partners, dedicated board, staff and volunteers to joined us to recognize and thank our community partners who invested a collective $1,126,500 to purchase, renovate, staff and furnish Grace Wellness Home.

Have you ever stopped to think about the impact and importance of celebrating your birthday with the ones you love? As we grow older, sometimes the excitement of celebrating birthdays can fade. Imagine celebrating your birthday like you’re seven years old again. Full of joy, excited for the year ahead, doing something you love with the ones who make you smile. Leah’s* birthday celebration reminded me to fully embrace and celebrate each birthday, and every day in between. Every day and every year are gifts!

For Margie Varney, retirement is never an option. “Starting a new chapter is what I have done many times, but never retirement,” said the former community builder, world trade executive, retail shop owner, political advocate and business executive.

Grace partnered with VSP Vision Care to provide more than 130 patients with the gift of sight last month.

During their three-day visit, VSP doctors and volunteers served Grace patients in the VSP Vision Care bus, giving them comprehensive eye exams and new prescription glasses at no cost.

Grace Medical Home was honored by Teva Pharmaceuticals, the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (NAFC) and Direct Relief at the NAFC 2022 Charitable Health Care Symposium in Indianapolis, IN.

Grace Medical Home was among 11 free and charitable clinics across California, Florida, and New Jersey that earned a $75,000 award to address mental health needs through Community Routes: Access to Mental Health Care. Community Routes: Access to Mental Healthcare, a partnership between Direct Relief, the National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics, and Teva Pharmaceuticals, provides awards to support clinics expanding access to mental health services across three states.

Grace recently celebrated the culmination of visual arts classes for some of our pediatric patients. Created and led by Gabby Hammond, a Gap Year Intern, the program introduced the arts as a coping strategy and emotional outlet to help build participants’ resilience.

Five pediatric patients at Grace Medical Home were the inaugural graduates of Grace's partnership with the Orlando Ballet S.T.E.P.S. program (Scholarship Training for the Enrichment of Primary Students).

On May 6, 2022, participants gathered for the 9th annual Spa Invitational to enjoy pampering services while supporting Grace Medical Home.

As a nonprofit organization, Grace Medical Home relies on the generosity of donors to support our mission to serve uninsured individuals and families in Orange County.

As a charitable clinic, Grace is part of a network of similarly-minded facilities in the state of Florida through the Florida Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (FAFCC).

What is the need for Grace Medical Home? Our CEO Stephanie N. Garris shares the state of the uninsured in our community and Grace’s role in serving our community.

We are so grateful to be celebrating 10 years of Grace and for the many community leaders who continue to support our mission!

Watch our seven Trustees gather to reflect on the past 10 years and receiving the call to serve those in our community who need it the most.

For college students, the future is full of potential and opportunities. And as gap years for students grow in popularity, Grace Medical Home has been able to help aspiring medical school students maximize time between schooling through a partnership with the University of Central Florida Burnett Honors College.

Once a patient, Kingstona Saint Lot now assists patients as a front desk volunteer at Grace Medical Home. Kingstona, 19, first arrived at Grace as a patient in 2018 while she was in high school. Originally from Haiti, she came to the United States four years ago.

In 2016, medical students and researchers published on article about the nominal facility fee we charge our patients and whether it was a barrier to care.

In 2018, researchers at the Regional Extension Center at the University of Central Florida used our clinic as an example on free clinics obtaining accreditation as a Patient-Centered Medical Home by the National Committee on Quality Assurance.

In 2019, Grace was one of two clinics in the country selected to participate in a clinical trial incorporating healthy food boxes in the patient treatment plan.

Grace also participated in a study with Duke University and DPP entitled “Integrating Spirituality into Patient Care” that engaged physicians to determine whether a spiritual history influenced the care they delivered.

The first publication was in 2013 in Becker’s Hospital Review as ways hospitals can partner with free clinics.