On Friday July 22, 2016 Mike Steele (BCL) Bobby Sheets( WBL Coordinator) and three students Chaili Kelly- Jones, Florence Forrest, & Precious Johnson set forth on a mission at 3:30AM to assist with the Remote Area Medical Clinic (RAM) in Wise County.
The RAM is a volunteer organization that specializes in providing free medical care to people in rural areas. The three day event will focus on three areas of medical, dental and vision. The Ram in Wise County has been going on for 13 years. According to www.WCYB .com over 2500 people will be seen by doctors, optometrists, and dentists. “We have diagnosed everything from brain tumors, breast cancer, lung cancer, those who are dealing with diabetes, hypertension, chronic diseases, as well as treating that have dental needs and eye needs as well,” Wise RAM Coordinator Dr. Teresa Gardner said. “It is a tremendous asset to our region.” The event its self is very massive and is held at the Wise county fairgrounds. Many of the clients seeking services set up tents days before the event. The Ram sees clients regardless of insurance, or employment status. Many local colleges provide nursing student to assist with the doctors. The different specialties are spread through the fairgrounds. Walking through the fairgrounds at 5AM before the doors open at 6AM, you will find rows of dentist’s chairs. Multiple tables set up with vision, and medical equipment.
All volunteers register online months before the actual event. After the Volunteer check in at 5AM everyone is assigned an area. The Blue Ridge’s crew was split up into two assignments.
The first few hours after the RAM began the Blue Ridge group was in charge of providing each waiting area with plenty of water for the clients. They unloaded cases of water donated by food City onto a cart and pushed it around ensuring everyone remained hydrated. In two hours they distributed 20 cases of water. In addition to providing water to the clients inside the fairgrounds, they took they water outside and provided it to over 100 people waiting outside to get in.
The 2nd part of the day was spent in patient registration. Before individuals can been by a doctor they have to be properly registered. After they enter the fairgrounds, one by one they enter the registration tent. The tent consists of about 25 laptops with volunteers at each laptop ready to get the patients registered. Registration will go on almost all day long. The RAM closes at 6:00PM, and registration will stop around 4:00PM. This is to allow the medical professionals to have a clear end time. However, from 6AM to 4PM the tent will remain very busy, and steady. Clients can only be seen for one area (medical dental, or vision) at a time. If they get done with one early enough they can go back through and is registered for another specialist.
While attending this event the students met (and take pictures with) both the governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe and Field representative from Senator Mark Warner’s office Shane Clem. It was a great day. It was dark when Blue Ridge team left the center, and when they arrived at volunteer check in. Also by 10:00AM in was already 94 degrees, but it was humbling experience. Being there with everyone that wanted to make the world a better place felt comforting. It should also be noted that each of these students participated in the Smyth County RAM in April. They chose to do this again because they wanted to.
Prescious Johnson “ I had a fun experience of working hard to serve our community that we live in” I would like to come back next year and help out, even though I will have already graduated”
Florence Forrest” I hope that I can help out with these events where I live. I really enjoy helping people”
Chaili Kelly-Jones “RAM is truly an amazing and much needed blessing to every community that it touches. In today’s economy it is very difficult to make ends meet, much less afford to have dental, vision, and health insurance. RAM is made up of volunteers from all walks of life, who come together for the sole purpose of giving back to the community, and making basic vision, health, dental services more accessible to those those who would not otherwise have access to them. I’ve never experienced anything like it. It is truly humbling to see the sheer amount of people who come together and who’s stories you learn as you try your best just to simply help your neighbors. RAM is a perfect archetype of what every community should strive for, and I am blessed for simply being able to help their vision come into fruition.”

TO learn more about the RAM go to www.RAMUSA.org
To see the article by local news media go to http://www.wcyb.com/news/virginia-governor-among-those-in-attendance-at-ram-health-clinic/40839194