The faculty at the University of Central Florida’s College of Medicine has been educating the future physicians of America for years, but now it has a new endeavor - to provide medical services to the public.

Last November, UCF opened Pegasus Health, a clinic that focuses on primary care and specializes in sports medicine, nephrology, neurology, rheumatology, cardiology, geriatrics and infectious diseases.

The clinic is staffed entirely by UCF College of Medicine faculty and the best part is that you don’t have to be a Knight to receive treatment. That’s right, the clinic is open to the general public and people from throughout Central Florida and beyond have already taken advantage of what the facility has to offer. According to Linda Smelser, director of clinical operations, the clinic has treated patients from Kissimmee, Jupiter and even Palm Beach.

“We’ve seen about 300 patients so far and we’ve heard a lot of positive feedback about [the clinic],” says Smelser. “I think the College of Medicine faculty attract people from far and away, which is wonderful.”

Although UCF’s College of Medicine is located in Lake Nona, the Pegasus Health clinic is located on the corner of University Boulevard and Quadrangle Boulevard, close to UCF’s main campus.

“We picked this particular location because of the close proximity to the university,” says Smelser.

According to Leonardo Oliveira, a College of Medicine faculty member and physician at Pegasus Health, this location allows the physicians to serve the community better.

“We’re so close to the main campus. We want to give back to the community and being where we are allows us to do that,” says Oliveira, who is board certified in sports and general medicine.

“It’s a way for us to become better communicators. Medicine is the art of communication and caring for individuals,” says Oliveira. “We’re delivering the best care for our students in the classroom and the best care for our patients in the community.”

In order to provide the best care, the clinic utilizes the most up-to-date technology. The computers run on wireless Internet, and medical publications and books can all be accessed remotely on-site. The patients’ medical records are also electronic, to cut down on the use of paper, and can be accessed from the clinic or at the college.

The facility itself is also designed to provide the best care for the patient. The patient rooms, where the doctor and the patient confer, tend to be a dreaded place for many who don’t like going to the doctor’s office. But these patient rooms don’t look or feel like the typical ones found in many other practices. Instead, these rooms are designed to relax the patient and help take the stress out of the visit. All of the rooms have paintings and windows that offer plenty of sunshine and outside views.

“The building is designed to make patients feel like they’re not in a physician’s office, but in a hotel,” says Oliveira.

In the future, the physicians at Pegasus Health would like to further their patient care by adding a portal where patients can access their own medical information. Smelser says at some point in the future the students at UCF’s College of Medicine may be able to use the clinic to gain hands-on experience.

Another future goal of the clinic is to spread the word about Pegasus Health and let people know that it’s not just for students; anyone is welcome.

If you need to stop by the Pegasus Health clinic, it’s open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The clinic accepts most major health insurance carriers and patients must be 16 or older. For more information on Pegasus Health, visit www.UcfPegasusHealth.com.

Article by Marisa Ramiccio