Remote Area Medical to bring FREE clinic to Florida

BRADENTON, Fla, Nov. 16 -- Stan Brock, the legendary founder of Remote Area Medical, announced that the internationally recognized health charity will hold its first free clinic in Florida in Bradenton on November 21 and 22.

Like all Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinics, the two-day Bradenton event will feature a full array of dental, medical and optical services on a first-come, first-served basis, Brock said.

“The only question we ever ask is, ‘where does it hurt?’ said Brock, whose work has been profiled on CBS ’60 Minutes,’ NBC’s ‘Today,’ ABC’s ‘Nightline,’ The New York Times, The Washington Post and in numerous international media outlets (ramusa.org/media/).

Last year alone, RAM provided free dental, medical and optical care to 27,523 people, Brock said, with a value of $9.1 million.

A team of more than 700 local volunteers, headed by Richard Conard, M.D., has been working to organize the event for nearly a full year, Brock said.

The clinic will be held at the Manatee Technical College Campus on SR-70 East, November 21 and 22, noted Dr. Conard.

Free services will be offered to the general public on a non-discriminatory first-come, first-served basis, with tickets handed out at 3:00 AM each clinic day, Brock said.

“The numbers distributed each day are based on the number of volunteer medical providers we have available,” he noted.

“A RAM clinic is a life-affirming event, which is why hundreds of physicians, dentists, technicians and allied medical and dental professionals are moved to take part,” Dr. Conard said. “Patients have been known to travel hundreds of miles to take advantage of RAM’s free medical and dental services -- and there is a pressing need in Florida, especially for dental care.”

Dr. Conard said he was moved to begin efforts to bring RAM to Florida after taking part in a RAM clinic one year ago in Henderson, TN.

Brock first became known to American audiences as an animal wrangler and cowboy on the “Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom” program, which aired on NBC from 1963 to 1972. He founded RAM to provide medical care to remote areas of the Amazon, and has since expanded the organization’s reach to include free clinics throughout the United States.

“Even though we formed RAM to provide care in the Third World, we unfortunately found an increasing need for medical and dental services right here in the United States,” Brock added.

Among the services that will be provided by RAM volunteers at the Bradenton clinic:

· Free Dental Services: Cleanings, dental x-rays, fillings, extractions;

· Free Vision Services: Eye exams, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy testing, with free prescription eyeglasses made and fitted on site (if you have a prescription that is less than one year old, you can skip the wait for an eye exam if you bring a copy of your prescription);

· Free Medical Services: Full physicals, breast exams, diabetes screening (those wishing diabetes screening should not eat anything after 12:00 midnight);

· Women’s Health: While no mobile mammography unit will be available at the upcoming clinic, patients needing mammography will be given vouchers for free mammograms by a local provider.

Approximately 2,000 bag lunches will be distributed to clinic attendees through the sponsorship of the Salvation Army, Conard noted.

Brock and Dr. Conard urged Florida-licensed medical, dental and other health care professionals to volunteer for the clinic by registering at the RAM website, www.ramusa.org.

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