ORLANDO, Fla. — A pediatrician in Orlando is volunteering his time to give students the school physicals they must have.

What You Need To Know

  • Orlando pediatrician donates his time to provide back-to-school physicals for free

  • Dr. Al Torres works with Central Florida-based Shepherd's Hope

  • Torres calls it 'a true honor' to help people

Dr. Al Torres, who works out of Nemours Children’s Hospital, also provides free health care for the uninsured and underinsured at the health center for Shepherd’s Hope in Orlando.  

“Helping people. I think making someone feel better, or making sure that they’re doing well, is a true honor,” Torres said.

Shepherd’s Hope’s President and Chief Executive Officer Donna Walsh said more than 3,000 volunteers help make the free services possible. Hundreds of thousands of people have been cared for since 1997, she said.

According to Walsh, the organization averages about 400 school physicals per year. In Seminole and Orange County alone, 30,000 children do not have health insurance. Programs and coverage help Shepherd's Hope get out the word that it is available to provide this service for children at no cost.

Treating children is something Torres has done since at least the 1990s in different parts of the country, and now he’s doing it in Central Florida.

“It’s important that we give back to the community, right, that we live in, that we work in, and so it’s a privilege really to be able to do that,” Torres said.

Visit here to learn more about the great things happening at Shepherd’s Hope.