New mold-illness clinic for low-income patients opens in Fort Myers

Members of Christian Medical Ministries and Grace Church in Fort Myers had a reason to celebrate Friday.

The two organizations teamed up to open a new medical clinic for low-income and under-insured patients with mold-related illnesses caused by storms.

FOX 4

Patients have to be a Florida resident without employer-provided health insurance to qualify.

Doctors on site told FOX 4's Victoria Scott that thousands of people in Southwest Florida are prone to mold illness after Hurricane Ian.

"Unfortunately, it's a silent epidemic in our area," said Dr. Alan Gruning. "No one is really talking about the effects of Hurricane Ian on all the structures that we're living in and how many of them are contaminated. Literally thousands and thousands of our homes and businesses are unsafe because they're contaminated with mold and bacteria. If you're genetically susceptible to get sick from that, then you'll get very sick."

Christian Medical Ministries staff said the new clinic will be open every Thursday.

They also said more sites are expected to open in Naples and Cape Coral.