Free dental, vision and medical clinic coming to Louisville Sept. 23-24

Parish Howard, Augusta Chronicle
·2 min read
Free vision, dental and medical services will be offered first come first served at during a RAM pop-up clinic in Louisville Sept. 23-24.
Free vision, dental and medical services will be offered first come first served at during a RAM pop-up clinic in Louisville Sept. 23-24.

On Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23 and 24, Remote Area Medical (RAM) will provide free quality dental, vision and medical care to anyone needing assistance. The two-day clinic, organized in collaboration with Emory Remote Area Medical volunteers, will be held at Jefferson County High School, located at 1157 Warrior Trail in Louisville and provide services first come first serve, completely free of charge without even requiring patient identification.

RAM, a well-known nonprofit provider of pop-up clinics across the United States, held its first clinic in Louisville in September of 2021 where it served 219 patients and provided $120,297 work of free healthcare services including 88 made-to-order pairs of eyeglasses.

These clinics are designed to provide services to underserved, uninsured or underinsured individuals who either do not have access to or cannot afford seeing a doctor under normal circumstances.

According to a spokesman for the non-profit, these clinics also raise awareness of rural health disparities.

Patients will be treated on a first-come, first-served basis with the parking lot opening no later than 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 22. RAM encourages anyone seeking services to arrive as early as possible. More information will then be provided regarding the clinic procedures with clinic doors opening at 6 a.m.

“Due to time constraints, patients should be prepared to choose between dental and vision services,” a RAM spokesman said.

Services offered include dental cleanings, dental fillings, dental extractions, dental X-rays, vision exams, eye health exams, eyeglass prescriptions, eyeglasses made on site, women’s health exams and general medical exams.

Since its founding in 1985, RAM has treated more than 910,000 individuals and provided more than $189.5 million worth of free health care services.

Remote Area Medical will be providing free vision, dental and medical services to anyone requesting them at a clinic at Jefferson County High School during a pop-up clinic Sept. 23-24.
Remote Area Medical will be providing free vision, dental and medical services to anyone requesting them at a clinic at Jefferson County High School during a pop-up clinic Sept. 23-24.

The services are provided by licensed health care professionals and others, like the Emory RAM group, who volunteer their time and experience.

“The Emory University Campus RAM Chapter – Emory RAM – has partnered with Remote Area Medical to bring this two-day clinic back to Louisville,” a spokesperson for the student organization said. “Access to basic healthcare remains a long-standing issue in rural America. Approximately 12.3% of individuals in rural counties lack health insurance with some areas far exceeding these estimates, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Rural Georgia certainly is no exception. According to the Georgia Budget & Policy Institute, out of the 105 counties in Georgia with healthcare provider ratios below the statewide average, 84 are rural. Moreover, according to the Center for Healthcare Quality & Payment Reform, an overwhelming 30% of Georgia’s rural hospitals are at high risk of closure as of 2023.”

Anyone interested in donating or volunteering to help at the clinic is encouraged to contact the organizers at www.ramusa.org or by calling (865) 579-1530.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Free dental, vision and medical clinic coming to Louisville Sept. 23