Remote Area Medical (RAM) will hold its annual mobile medical clinic on Feb. 4 - 5 at the Jacob Building in Chilhowee Park & Exposition Center, 3301 East Magnolia Avenue. Gates at Chilhowee Park & Exposition Center open at 9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3, and RAM volunteers begin dispersing numbered tickets at 3 a.m. Saturday morning. Patient registration begins at 6 a.m. Individuals will be called by their number and served on a first-come, first-served basis. All services are provided at no cost to the patient. RAM expects an increase in its number of patients considering the hundreds of families who were affected by the East Tennessee wildfires in November 2016.
“Access to medical care, particularly dental and vision, continues to be a challenge for those who cannot afford a visit to a doctor,” says Stan Brock, founder of RAM. “As the climate in our nation’s health care shifts, this year we are expecting an increase in numbers of patients who will visit our medical clinic in Knoxville.”
For the past 31 years, Remote Area Medical and its Corps of 100,000 volunteers have treated close to 700,000 individuals, delivering more than $110 million in free medical services. In 2016, RAM treated more than 7,000 people in the state of Tennessee. Medical services at this year’s clinic will include dental cleanings, dental fillings, dental extractions, eye exams, eyeglass prescriptions, eyeglass production, free eyeglasses, women's health exams, assistance device (walkers and canes) education, osteopathic manipulative treatment and general medical exams.
“The capacity of our mobile medical clinics has seen an increase in the number of patients treated during the past 3 years,” says RAM’s Clinic Manager Ron Brewer. “Our goal is to treat as many Tennesseans as possible who otherwise would not have access to a doctor.”
RAM seeks licensed healthcare professionals to donate their time and skills in the following categories:
• Dental: accepts all Dentists, Oral Surgeons, Dental Hygienists, and both registered and non-registered Dental Assistants.
• Vision: accepts all Optometrists, Ophthalmologists, Optometric Techs, Ophthalmic Techs, and both licensed and non-licensed Opticians.
RAM has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps to help advance the health and safety of the nation. RAM will provide equipment, resources and infrastructure to facilitate the provision of medical care during emergency operations and respond to natural or manmade disasters or events.
For more information about RAM’s Knoxville mobile medical clinics, please visit
www.ramusa.org/event.To volunteer, visit
[email protected] or call 865-579-1530.
About Remote Area Medical: RAM’s mission to prevent pain and alleviate suffering is fueled by its operation of mobile medical clinics that deliver free, high quality vision, dental, and medical services to individuals who do not have access or cannot afford a visit to a doctor. RAM’s Corps of more than 100,000 Humanitarian Volunteers is comprised of licensed dental, vision, and medical professionals who have delivered $11 million worth of free health care services. In 2016, RAM treated more than 30,000 people in need of medical care with a value of $9.9 million of free medical aid.