UPDATE: Over the course of two days, officials with RAM said a total of 931 people sought medical, dental or vision treatment. By Sunday afternoon, almost $500,000 in free treatment and services had been provided. Planning is underway for next year’s clinic scheduled for Oct. 23-24.
Remote Area Medical will hold a free medical clinic at Camp Jordan Arena this weekend.
The clinic will continue on Sunday, November 17. Services are first-come-first served, officials with the organization said. Numbers for service will be handed out beginning at 3 a.m. Doors to the arena where services will be provided open at 6 a.m.
Medical services include free dental (filling, extractions or cleaning: free eye exam and eyeglasses; free medical services, which also includes women’s health.
According to our friends at NewsChannel9, about 400 volunteers came to assist RAM on Saturday.
RAM officials told NewsChannel9 that more than half of Saturday’s patients came within a 25-mile radius of East Ridge.
There are no eligibility requirements, officials said. No identification is required.
According to U.S. census data for East Ridge, approximately 14 percent of the population was living in poverty in 2018, a rate that exceeds the national average of 11.8%. Additionally, nearly 15.7% of the population under the age of 65 lacks health insurance coverage. Because of these factors, RAM expects to see great demand from residents in East Ridge and surrounding communities during the two-day clinic.
In 2017, the last time RAM was in the East Ridge community, 976 patients were provided care. “Just like many communities around the country, there are people in the community of East Ridge who are struggling,” said RAM CEO Jeff Eastman. “We are always glad to return to Hamilton County to continue to help fill the gaps for those who don’t have access to a dentist or eye doctor and provide care for those in need.”
RAM is still in need of additional vision professionals and dental providers to volunteer their time and skills for the East Ridge clinic. For more information about RAM’s mobile clinics or to volunteer, visit www.ramusa.org or call 865-579-1530.
Over the past 34 years, Remote Area Medical has provided free medical, dental, and vision care to hundreds of thousands of people through the operation of mobile medical clinics. RAM operates its clinics in communities large and small, both in the United States and abroad.
Camp Jordan Arena is located at 323 Camp Jordan Parkway in East Ridge, Tennessee.
Click on the link below for more details about RAM and what they do. https://www.ramusa.org/
