Remote Area Medical

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About Remote Area Medical (RAM)

Remote Area Medical (RAM) is a Knoxville, Tennessee-based, non-profit organization that provides free health care, dental care, eye care, veterinary services, as well as technical and educational assistance to people in remote areas of the United States and around the world.[1]

Stan Brock, founder of Remote Area Medical


Stan Brock (RAM Founder)

RAM was founded in 1985 by British-born cowboy, Stan Brock, who is well known for his time as a star on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.[2] Brock came up with the idea for RAM after a near-fatal accident with a wild horse while working at The Dadanawa Ranch in Guyana. At the time, he was 26 days away from the nearest doctor. While living with the Wapishana Indians in Guyana, Brock witnessed the devastation to whole Indian tribes by would be minor illnesses in more advanced areas of the world. [3] Upon leaving Guyana, he made a vow to find a way to deliver basic medical care to people in remote areas of the world. However, he noticed that the need for medical care in the United States was just as dire as in many other countries. "RAM is the way I have kept that promise not only to the Wapishana Indians but thousands around the world in similar condition. In other words, there are Wapishanas everywhere."

Operations at Home and Abroad

RAM has provided $102 million worth of free health care to 650,000 patients with the help of 100,000 volunteers since its inception.[4][5] Approximately two-thirds of this total is in the USA.[6] RAM has responded to numerous natural disasters around the world and at home. Recently, they responded to the floods in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and provided aid to Hurricane Matthew survivors in South Carolina and Haiti. Throughout the years RAM has also responded to disasters in The Phillippines, Greece, and Guyana. The organization is able to respond to these and future disasters by land, air or sea. RAM is funded through donations and relies on volunteers from the community, as well as professionals including physicians, dentists, optometrists, nurses, pilots, and veterinarians to provide care in poorer communities.

A Look to The Future

Brock has led the cause of urging states to pass laws to allow doctors to cross state borders in order to provide medical care. According to Brock, local licensing requirements for doctors in many states prevent the organization from bringing out-of-state doctors to areas where their help is needed. Currently, there are12 states who have passed an "Open Borders To Doctors" law on its books.[6][7][8] Those states include Tennessee, Connecticut, Illinois, Virginia, Kentucky, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Missouri, Colorado, California, Nevada, and Washington. In January 2015, Ohio passed legislation to allow dentists to cross state borders and perform dental procedures.

References

  1. ↑ Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps' "about" page
  2. ↑ IMDB entry for Stan Brock
  3. ↑ Pelley, Scott (February 28, 2008). "US Health Care gets boost from charity". 60 Minutes. CBS News: 4. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  4. ↑ Remote Area Medical- Accomplishments
  5. ↑ Hidden Hurt, The Washington Post
  6. 1 2 Brock, Stan (2009-07-22). "Uninsured Travel from Across US for Free Healthcare from Relief Group Remote Area Medical". Democracy Now! (Interview). Interview with Amy Goodman. New York. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  7. ↑ Brock, Stan (2009-08-21). "Stan Brock" (Interview). Interview with Tavis Smiley. Los Angeles: KCET. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  8. ↑ "T.C.A. 63-6-7 Volunteer Health Care Services". Justia. 2010. Retrieved 7 February 2016.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.