RAM returns to Roane this weekend

“We were started by Stan Brock and he had the mission to prevent pain and alleviate suffering,” RAM Marketing Manager Chris Cannon said. “We just continue his mission today.”

This weekend’s RAM clinic will be held on the main campus of Roane State Community College located at 276 Patton Lane. There is no charge for the services offered at the clinic.

“The patient parking lot will open no later than 11:59 p.m. (midnight) on Friday night, April 19, and remain open for the duration of the clinic,” RAM said in a press release about the clinic. “Once in the parking lot, additional information regarding clinic-opening processes and next steps will be provided. Clinic doors open at 6 a.m.”

Cannon explained the process that goes into a county landing a RAM clinic.

“We only go where we’re invited,” he said. “We work on a community host group model, so it takes somebody in the community to come together, see the need and invite us into an area and then they take on about a year process planning for the clinic, and then we come with the equipment and things like that and set up the clinic for the weekend.”

Cannon said the Free Medical Clinic is the community host group for this weekend’s clinic in Roane County.

The services offered at RAM clinics include dental cleanings, dental fillings, dental extractions, dental X-rays, eye exams, eye health exams, eyeglass prescriptions, eyeglasses made on-site, women’s health exams and general medical exams.

According to the Tennessee Department of Health, rural communities are at greater risk for health disparities.

“We’re definitely not a solution to the problem, but we’re bridging the gap to be able to provide care to those that otherwise might not be able to receive it due to different barriers,” Cannon said. “Those can be insurance barriers, paying a deductible can oftentimes hinder people or also not being able to go to the doctor during the week. Having the clinic on the weekend helps with that.”