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Patients can begin gathering at midnight on Friday, when the parking lot opens. Service will be provided by order of ticket numbers, which will be handed out beginning at 3 a.m. Saturday and Sunday morning. Doors open at 6 a.m. both days. No ID or insurance card required.To be a volunteer, sign up at volunteer.ramusa.org, or visit ramusa.org for more information.Red Bank High School is at 640 Morrison Springs Road.
On Friday, June 2, locals will start lining up at midnight, ready to camp out all night for a chance. It's not the latest band or gadget they'll be seeking, but medical care. For many - single mothers, senior citizens, veterans and more - the free services are the only medical care they can afford.
With the help of licensed medical professionals from across the country, it's expected more than 1,000 people will be able to take advantage of the free services: dental cleanings, fillings and extractions; eye exams, prescriptions and made-on-site eyeglasses; women's health exams, diabetic screening and education, HIV/AIDS testing, and general medical exams.
"We see single mothers, low-income couples, veterans, children and families, elderly and disabled who come to our clinics to get one of our services because they cannot afford a dental cleaning or a pair of eyeglasses," said Stan Brock, founder of Remote Area Medical, a nongovernmental provider of free mobile medical clinics. "We want to ensure everyone has access to a healthy life."
With 40 percent of people in Red Bank, Soddy-Daisy and the Middle Valley area living in poverty and 47 percent without health care, according to the latest census figures, there is a need. The last clinic held in Chattanooga in 2015 drew around 1,100 patients, said RAM media relations specialist Alex Shelton, adding that the value of care was estimated at $320,000.
"Usually areas where we've had a certain number for prior years, we expect to see similar numbers," Shelton said.
Patients are seen on a first-come, first-served basis. Shelton described the atmosphere as "very focused." Dozens of dental chairs and eye exam stations will be set up inside the school, with mobile vision labs to make eyeglasses on-site set up outside.
Things like parking are taken into consideration when choosing the sites. The upcoming clinic will be at Red Bank High School.
"The medical professionals are focused on serving as many people as possible," Shelton said. "Logistically, it's very impressive to see how well it all operates."
Numbered tickets will be handed out to hopeful patients beginning at 3 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with services starting up at 6 a.m. both days.
"We always welcome what we call 'general support' volunteers to fill in the cracks as needed," Shelton said.
To learn more about how to join RAM's Corps of Humanitarians, visit ramusa.org or call 865-579-2555. In addition to donations of money and supplies, Shelton said dental and vision professionals are always in need since those are the services most often requested by patients.
"When together we treat a patient, we change a life. When we treat hundreds of patients, we transform a community. When we transform communities, we can improve the health of our country, one mobile medical RAM clinic at a time," Brock said.