Southern Virginia to Host RAM Clinic This Weekend, Offering Free Health Care to Region
By Dallin Hunt and Sarah Brezenski
Remote Area Medical (RAM) of Virginia is coming to Southern Virginia University Campus on Saturday, March 10 and Sunday, March 11, to offer free health care to anyone in the region, including students.
“This is the fifth clinic that has been hosted on campus… We do it every other year,” said Aimee Thompson, a recent graduate of Southern Virginia and a co-coordinator for the past two events.
RAM, an international non-profit based in Tennessee, provides free general medical, dental, vision, and preventive care, as well as educational services, for low-income populations. The organization recruits doctors, dentists and other medical care providers to volunteer their time and skills at their two-day clinics. RAM of Virginia, a branch of the organization, specifically services remote communities in the Commonwealth like Buena Vista.
The event this weekend will take place in the Stoddard Center on Southern Virginia’s campus, beginning at 6 a.m. on Saturday. Specific services will include dental, general medical, and vision. It will also offer educational booths on subjects like opioid overdose prevention, a major issue currently facing Virginia and the entire US.
The clinic is open to all members of the community and doesn’t require patients to bring paperwork. Care is provided on a first come, first serve basis, and because of its popularity, that means long waits and long lines. The parking lot opens at midnight tonight, and the clinic begins their take-a-number system at 3 a.m.
Thompson said, Southern Virginia students are welcome to receive these provided services. She also encouraged students to volunteer, saying they can show up at the Stoddard Center tomorrow or Sunday and help with parking, directing and interacting with patients, assisting with food services, and taking down equipment.*
RAM of Virginia comes to Buena Vista every two years. Co-coordinator Clayton Trover, ’18, called it a great opportunity for Southern Virginia students to serve and be leader servants, especially for those interested in applying to medical school. It’s also a great opportunity to build bridges between the university and the community. “The involvement from the community is huge and the importance of it is even bigger,” Thompson said.
Thompson and Trover currently serve as co-coordinators over the seven committees that coordinated RAM’s visit to the community and campus. This year, every committee is led by Southern Virginia students.
Services are defined on the website as the following:
DENTAL: Cleaning, fillings, extractions
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
EDUCATION: Educational resources and information are provided throughout service areas
Services are limited according to number of care providers. Patients can receive medical care along with either dental or vision, but can’t receive both dental and vision in the same day.
*To volunteer, contact Aimee Thompson at jst.amt.thompson@gmail.com
