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UCF med students help treat patients at free clinic

ORLANDO, Fla. — Students at the University of Central Florida's medical school will get some valuable experience and help the community by treating uninsured patients at a new free clinic.

About 50 medical students are staffing the clinic and handling all its operational duties.

And Channel 9's Steve Barrett found there are already plans to expand the program and help even more people.

Inside the Grace Medical Home, there is free medicine and free medical care for some of Orange County's thousands of uninsured residents -- like Robert Quattry.

"This is a place where we can come and not be ashamed that we don't have medical insurance," he said.

Quattry said the clinic helped diagnose his wife's breast cancer in time to cure her.

Now, the Grace clinic will help to mold some of central Florida's newest medical professionals and build on a partnership with the UCF medical school.

Dr. Marvin Hardy said bringing in students once or twice a month helps the Grace clinic treat more patients and kick-start medical careers with real experience.

Grace Medical Home will open its doors on Tuesday for an open house where UCF's first graduating class will announce new plans to expand what they're calling the Knights' Clinic.

Patients consider it a great start for new doctors.

Right now, UCF students work at the clinic one Thursday a month. They hope to expand that to two days per month soon and even more days in the future.