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Last week, we shared why many patients rely on Remote Area Medical (RAM®) for vision care. Some patients, like Regina, come to RAM Clinics after years without an eye exam, wearing someone else’s old glasses because they have no other option. Other patients, like Michelle, return because a RAM Clinic helped them receive an eye exam and new glasses the year before, it’s care they know they can count on.
Reliable, Free, Quality Vision Care
For many of our patients, RAM is a reliable source of free, quality care, year after year. Many Community Host Groups (CHGs) host a RAM Clinic each year because they see the need in their community and want their neighbors to receive care.
RAM Clinics in places like Cookeville, Tennessee and Grundy, Virginia have returned annually for more than 10 and even 20 years. These are just two examples of the more than 1,800 RAM Clinics held since our founding, many of them in communities where local hosts continue to see the need for care.
Michelle was one of more than 100 patients who received a free vision exam at the clinic. These exams do more than determine whether a patient needs new glasses. They can also help detect other health concerns. That’s why regular eye exams are so important. Early detection can help slow or even prevent future vision complications.
Care Michelle Can Count On
For Michelle, the RAM Clinic in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania could not have been in a more convenient location. RAM’s clinic was held at the school where she works.
This was RAM’s second year holding a clinic in Bellefonte, and Michelle’s second time attending as a patient. She returned because of the quality of care she received from RAM volunteers last year.
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Michelle left the clinic just a few hours later with a brand-new pair of glasses. Her son was also seen by a volunteer optometrist. After a complete eye exam, the doctor determined her son did not need glasses. That gave Michelle peace of mind, knowing that her son was up to date on his eye exam.
Michelle plans to return next year. For her, reliable healthcare access means one less thing to worry about and one less cost to budget for.
If you or someone you know needs free dental, vision, or medical care, click here to view our schedule.
Free Vision Care for Those with & without Insurance
Michelle and her son have vision insurance through her job. But even with insurance, the cost of the exams and new glasses each year is more than she can afford. RAM helps remove that barrier for Michelle’s family and thousands more.
Michelle knows she is not the only person in her community who could benefit from RAM’s services.
“I really hope a lot more people would do this — come out for this, because it is very helpful,” Michelle said.
Michelle was one of the first patients to enter the clinic Saturday morning, saying she planned to tell her friends and family so they could receive care, too.
A Welcoming Environment
Throughout the clinic, volunteers asked Michelle about her work at the school, what it meant to help children learn, and about her son. When Michelle talked about her son, her smile could be seen from across the room.
When asked why she would recommend the RAM Clinic, Michelle pointed to the way staff and volunteers treated her.
“You guys are all so kind. You don’t judge anybody. That’s great. There are too many people out there that judge,” Michelle said. “That’s not what you guys do, and that’s awesome.”
Michelle also appreciates that RAM Clinics welcome anyone who needs care. RAM does not require insurance, proof of income, or anything else to receive services. Everyone is welcome to receive free healthcare services at RAM Clinics.
RAM’s Mission
RAM removes barriers to care so more people across the country can access free dental, vision, and medical services. For Michelle, Amanda, and thousands more patients, annual RAM Clinics mean healthcare is one less thing to worry about.
They can count on RAM to keep showing up.
Supporting RAM
Help patients like Michelle have access to free, quality care year after year. Make a gift to RAM today.
Want to serve at an upcoming RAM Clinic? Register to volunteer today.
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