Remote Area Medical, or RAM, is back in the Valley this weekend to provide free dental, vision, and medical care to people who may otherwise go without these services. WMRA’s Olivia DeWan reports.
For the fifth year RAM will return to Luray to provide free medical care to members of the community. RAM is a nonprofit organization that brings doctors, dentists, and vision care to people who may otherwise go without. On September 26 and 27, RAM will set up a free pop-up clinic at Luray High School. Reagan Monday, a volunteer coordinator with RAM, says the organization will continue its work as long as there is a need for these free services.
REAGAN MONDAY: I know it can sound too good to be true, but please come if you need the services. No ID, no insurance required.
RAM encourages patients who take prescription medications to bring their medications with them to the clinic.
MONDAY: So we’ll have dental, medical and vision. In dental, they can have cleanings, fillings, extractions, and x rays. [In] Vision they can do an eye exam and get glasses made the same day… And then in medical we’ll have general physicals, we’ll have a women’s health provider there, a pediatric provider, and all of those services are completely free.
Monday emphasized the needs of people whose insurance does not cover dental or vision care, as well as those who have lost their insurance. RAM hopes to help address these gaps in care, which can be common and difficult for many people to navigate.
REAGAN MONDAY: The need really, unfortunately, is everywhere. We do clinics in extremely rural parts of the country and we do clinics in big cities as well, and we’ve yet to go to a place where the need isn’t there. It [ the clinic] discriminates against no one. We have all walks of life come to our clinic… We’d love to see as many people as we possibly can.
The parking lot will open at midnight, and clinic doors open at 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Services are offered on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached.
