CHARLESTON, W.Va. — For the 4th time, Remote Area Medical, with support from West Virginia Health Right, is bringing its free mobile health clinic to Kanawha County with help from volunteer dental, vision and medical professionals.
The clinic will be open to the public on a first-come, first-serve basis this Saturday, Oct. 19 and Sunday, Oct. 20 at Charleston’s Bible Center School, 1111 Oakhurst Drive, which is located off Route 119.
“It’s such a great event,” said Dr. Angie Settle, executive director and CEO of West Virginia Health Right. “It’s people helping people.”
The parking lot at Bible Center School was scheduled to open no later than 12 a.m. Saturday. Ticket distribution usually begins at 3 a.m. on event days.
Patients will be seen in numerical order beginning at 6 a.m.
“At 6 a.m., the doors open and we just hit the ground running,” Settle said.
“(It’s) No questions asked. They don’t ask, ‘Do you have insurance? What’s your income? Let me see your ID.’ None of that. It’s just, if you show up and you’re in need, they will take care of you.”
Basic services that will be offered include the following:
DENTAL: Cleaning, fillings, extractions,
VISION: Complete dilated eye exams, testing for glaucoma, testing for diabetic retinopathy, glasses made on site,
MEDICAL: General medicine,
PREVENTION: Breast exams, diabetes screening, physicals, women’s health,
EDUCATION: Educational resources and information are provided throughout service areas.
Settle recommended arriving early, especially for dental or vision services.
“I’d say we’ll probably see 1,000 this year in two days in patients,” Settle predicted. “We had 600 volunteers last year total.”
Volunteers are still needed for this year. Information on volunteering is available HERE.
Future RAM clinic sites include those in California, Virginia, Tennessee and Alabama.
RAM was formed in 1985 to prevent pain and alleviate suffering by providing free health services to people in need.