Free dental, vision and medical care offered in Milton this weekend in special event
Community members have the rare opportunity for free dental, vision and medical care this weekend thanks to largely local volunteer medical providers coordinated through the national Remote Area Medical (RAM) non-profit.
RAM travels the country and has provided pop-up services to communities from Alaska to Florida at no cost for 35 years. The pop-up medical clinic will provide a wide range of services, such as general physicals and pap smears for women, at Milton High School on Saturday and Sunday.
The clinic will open at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning to provide services on a first-come, first-serve basis. People looking to camp out early for the clinic’s opening can gather in Milton High School’s parking lot at midnight leading into Saturday.
“I’ve seen everything from bringing a grill out and a set up with them (and) then meet other patients in the parking lot,” said RAM Clinic Coordinator Brad Sands. “People do not want to wait to get these services and we appreciate them being patient with us.”
Tents and tailgates in the parking lot for the pop-up clinic are permitted.
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Services will be administered by volunteer medical providers, who RAM staff began recruiting locally in June. Clientele will not be asked qualifying questions or need an ID to receive services.
Though the health care is available to everyone, spokesperson Audra Fitzgerald told the News Journal earlier this year that the RAM team doesn't typically see people who can afford to obtain healthcare elsewhere. Business at the pop up clinics is always booming with those from underserved areas.
Volunteer medical staff include dentists, oral surgeons, dental assistants, hygienists, optometrists, vision techs, physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses and more. Volunteer interpreters and guides will also be on staff.
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In addition to providing eye exams, the clinic’s vision staff will make prescription glasses on site for those within the range of lens with qualifying prescriptions, Sands said.
If patients' prescriptions are outside the range that staff have on site, RAM will make the glasses at their headquarters in Tennessee and ship it to patients in about four to six weeks.
“A lot of people may not even realize they have vision problems, you know?” said Sands. “They’ve never been to the eye doctor. They come in, they walk out and they’re seeing things in a new way.”
“It’s awesome to get to bring that to people, vision is not cheap and glasses are expensive,” Sands continued. “It gets really pricey for some folks, so it’s nice being able to bring that in and give that to the community and those who need it.”
Sands was driven to work for RAM after witnessing throughout his own medical career people deal with barriers to receive care, such as a lack of insurance.
What services does RAM offer?
DENTAL: Cleaning, fillings, extractions, X-rays
VISION: Complete dilated eye exams, testing for glaucoma, testing for diabetic retinopathy, glasses made on site
MEDICAL: General medicine
PREVENTION: Breast exams, diabetes screening, physicals, women’s health
Since RAM was founded, over 196,000 volunteers – comprised of professional practitioners, as well as general support staff – have treated more than 900,000 individuals delivering more than $189.5 million worth of free healthcare services, the organization's website states.
Currently, RAM conducts between 60 and 70 health care events a year. Following the two-day Milton event, RAM will be heading to Coalfield, Tennessee.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Free medical services RAM pop-up clinic in Milton Dec. 2-3
