ORLANDO — St. Luke’s United Methodist Church here is working with groups like Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and Orange County Public Schools to provide health care services to Orange County’s uninsured population.

Through its Shepherd’s Hope ministry, St. Luke’s has opened four free clinics in various public schools around Orange County. All are staffed by community volunteers and funded primarily by area foundations and businesses.

"One reason I believe Shepherd’s Hope is being funded is it’s a creative approach to providing health care to the uninsured, using faith-based organizations in the communities," said Cindi Kopelman, Shepherd’s Hope’s executive director.

Shepherd’s Hope recently received $126,300 from the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation and $100,000 from the Dr. P. Phillips Foundation. The Walt Disney World Company and Universal Studios Escape theme park have also contributed, according to Kopelman.

That local funding helped the ministry secure a $441,140 matching-funds grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Shepherd’s Hope was one of 21 programs out of 313 applicants awarded grants this year, according to the foundation’s Web site.

Kopelman says Shepherd’s Hope’s goal is to provide free health care to uninsured people living at or below 150 percent of the poverty threshold. The United States Department of Health and Human Services says that threshold is $8,350 for a single person and $17,050 for a family of four. That means an individual making less than $12,525 annually or a family of four with an annual income of less than $25,575 and no health insurance coverage qualifies for Shepherd’s Hope’s service, Kopelman said.

"In Orange County, 21 percent of our residents are uninsured," she said. "That’s much higher than the national average of 16 percent…because of the high number of hospitality and tourism industry workers in an industry that doesn’t typically provide health coverage."

Miriam Burgos is a mother of three and works as a waitress. Her employer does not provide health insurance, so she takes her children to the clinic near her home. "It’s either find a free clinic or just stay sick," she said. "Shepherd’s Hope helps out."

Edith Brown is unemployed and has a health condition that must be monitored by a doctor. "I have no health insurance," she said. "I have to take medication, and I have to see a doctor to monitor me. If I don’t see one, I wouldn’t be in this world much longer."

Although the daily administration of the ministry is based at St. Luke’s, each Shepherd’s Hope clinic is a joint effort between a local faith-based organization, hospital and school.

"Shepherd’s Hope goes into a community and approaches a church or faith-based organization about sponsoring a clinic," Kopelman said. That church or organization then appoints a health center manager and forms an advisory council, which recruits volunteers to staff the clinic on a weekly basis.

David Johnson, executive director of the Central Florida Medical Society, a 109-member organization for minority physicians, said the society is looking for community-based health care programs it can sponsor and support.

"One of our organization’s objectives is to support community-based organizations that are really reaching the community, especially the minority segment," Johnson said. "I like what I see at Shepherd’s Hope. What really impresses me is the individuals that are here have a mind to serve. They’re really getting the job done."

Each clinic also has a community partner, typically a hospital, that provides laboratory and radiology services. A group called Special Care has also volunteered to provide specialty care, including surgery and cancer treatments.

The clinics are housed in area public schools. "Orange County Public Schools gave us free space in eight local schools for clinics," Kopelman said, adding the goal is to have each clinic open two nights each week.

In addition to the four Shepherd’s Hope clinics in operation, a fifth is scheduled to open in February. Since the ministry began in 1997 it has served 2,500 patients through 7,000 patient visits, Kopelman said. More than 600 health care and general volunteers work with the program.

"The success of the program has a lot to do with the commitment we have through the health care providers," Kopelman said. "[They] continue to come forward because of their commitment to the field of medicine, but also because of their commitment to their faith. We don’t preach the gospel, but that we are bringing health care to the working poor is our faith statement."