Central Florida Muslims open free health clinic

Central Florida’s Muslim leaders unveiled a new free clinic Friday that will serve the poor and uninsured of all backgrounds — a move they hope will help counter negative stereotypes about their faith.

Central Florida’s Muslim leaders unveiled a new free clinic Friday that will serve the poor and uninsured of all backgrounds — a move they hope will help counter negative stereotypes about their faith.

The facility, the American Muslim Community Centers Clinic in Longwood, will start seeing patients next week and initially will be open only on Fridays, but officials said it would grow to three days a week in a month or two and eventually to five days a week.

“Our goal is to serve humanity — no strings attached. Everyone is welcome,” said AtifFareed, AMCC chairman. “We have over 40 physicians who come to our mosque, and we have 11 of them signed up to volunteer here.

The clinic will offer general health care to anyone in Orange, Osceola or Seminole counties who is uninsured and earning below 200 percent of the federal poverty line.

Patients can make appointments online at amssclinic.org, and Longwood Pharmacy has agreed to fill many common prescriptions free, Fareedadded.