At the most recent expedition to Pikeville, KY on June 11-12, 2011, 882 patients received free services from volunteer health care practitioners and support personnel. 455 pairs of eyeglasses
were provided to 407 vision patients; 386 patients received free dental services (including
974 extractions, 348 fillings, and 264 cleanings); and 303 patients received free medical services.
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| Background |
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Shortly after RAM operated its first international expedition, rural counties in TN began to request the vital free services RAM had begun to offer.
The Rural AMerica program resulted from those requests, and continued to provide care at weekend clinics in several counties within the Appalachian area. |
However, a major obstacle that made these clinics difficult to set up and execute was, and still is in many states, the inability of health care practitioners from one state to travel to another state to offer free services.
This has remained a challenge due to the availability of willing volunteers from around the United States as well as the nature of the mobile clinics (several practitioners within each profession are required for clinics of reasonable size and scope).
In 1995, Tennessee passed legislation to allow out-of-state, duly licensed practitioners to volunteer their services at free clinics operated by non-profit organizations, after which the number of RAM expeditions (and the ability to staff them with volunteers) increased dramatically. This opened the door for practitioners from any US state to volunteer at any RAM clinic in TN, and they have responded by the hundreds, from states as far away as CA, WA, NY, and FL, and states as close as VA, GA, and KY, just to name a few. |
Within the past decade, Virginia laws have moved in the direction of the TN legislation to allow several types of practitioners, including dental professionals, to volunteer from other states.
A practical result of that progress is the annual operation of two expeditions in Wise and Buchanan Counties in VA, just across the Tennessee and Kentucky state lines. |
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| RAM KY History |
During a recent RAM Expedition to Wise County, VA, County Judge/Executive Wayne T. Rutherford of Pike County, KY took notice of publicity for the clinic. Upon investigating further, Judge Rutherford became determined to hold a RAM clinic in his state. With Judge Rutherford and other committed volunteers who had participated at TN RAM clinics as allies, RAM was able to successfully transcend another state line: in June of 2008, a RAM Expedition was held in Pike County, KY at Pike County Central High School. That clinic provided 624 patients with 729 free medical, dental, and vision services, worth an estimated value of $112,955.
Because of the successful venture in 2008 into Pike County, KY, and due to the interest expressed by Dr. Bill Collins and other Kentucky volunteers like Dr. Greg Bentley, Mr. Brian Bishop, and Dr. Susan King, Stan Brock approached Dr.Collins in October of that year to invite him to form a Kentucky state affiliate of Remote Area Medical Foundation. Upon accepting this challenge and discussing the practical responsibilities of such an affiliation, Stan appointed Dr. Collins as Chairman of the Board for what would become RAM KY. Dr. Collins then formed a complete Board of willing volunteers, and RAM KY was born.
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| PURPOSE & SERVICES |
The purpose of the RAM KY Affiliate is to oversee all future RAM Expeditions in the state. The first expedition directed by RAM KY was operated in Soft Shell, KY in December of 2008, and provided 720 patients with 822 dental, vision, and medical services valued at an estimated $100,540. Since that time, Kentucky has passed legislation to allow licensed dental practitioners from other states to apply for and, upon review, receive Charitable Licenses at no cost for the purpose of volunteering at RAM clinics. |
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Strides have also been made to allow vision and medical practitioners the same opportunity.
By working closely with volunteer dental professionals, instructors, and students from the University of Louisville, RAM KY has been able to drastically increase the number and scope of dental services offered at expeditions.
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We are happy to say that for the past three years expeditions have been conducted annually in the state, and RAM KY has become a thriving entity.
RAM KY received its official 501(c)(3) status as a recognized Affiliate of Remote Area Medical Foundation in 2011. RAM KY expeditions are modeled after other RAM clinics held in the US and abroad, and like those, services offered at RAM KY clinics include dental and vision, as well as medical services, the scope and variety of which are determined by the needs and capabilities of the local host communities.
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| Accomplishments |
RAM KY's expeditions have been praised by local and state officials, patients, and volunteers, and have received widespread media attention, earning the term "Clinically Impressive" by the Lexington Herald-Leader. KY State Senators Ray Jones and Johnny Ray Turner, KY State Representatives Keith Hall and Leslie Combs, KY Lieutenant Governor Daniel Mongiardo, and KY Governor Steve Beshear have all lauded RAM KY's efforts.
Most recently, such endorsements have been reflected in the passage of legislation that allows reciprocity in KY for dentists who volunteer from a state that allows KY dentists to practice in that state (in other words, because TN allows KY dentists to practice here on a volunteer basis at free clinics, KY will offer that same opportunity to TN dentists who notify the KY Board of Dentistry that they will be doing so, barring anyone with a record of violations, of course). Additionally, as RAM KY Board Chairman and volunteer, Dr. Collins has been instrumental in designing clinic oversight legislation and integrating RAM KY dentistry into Kentucky's emergency preparedness system as well as the state's continuing education requirements for professionals. Also, through the extensive efforts of RAM KY Board Members, the 2011 Pikeville Expedition dental clinic area underwent and passed inspection under CDC guidelines, a remarkable achievement for a mobile clinic.
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What is RAM KY?
In the words of Dr. Bill Collins,
"RAM Kentucky is people helping people. It is the eyes of hope.
It is the love and giving of others."
While its relatively short past has been marked by success,
its future lies in the hands of Kentuckians.
Remote Area Medical® is pleased to have a new home in Kentucky! |
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If you are interested in finding out how to host a RAM clinic in Kentucky,
please contact RAM HQ, and we will be glad to put you in touch with RAM KY Affiliate personnel!
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