The Remote Area Medical mobile clinic will offer free dental, vision and general medical care to people regardless of their health insurance status in East Ridge, Tennessee, on Nov. 16 and 17.
Available services include dental cleanings, dental fillings, dental extractions, dental X-rays, eye exams, glaucoma testing, eyeglass prescriptions, eyeglasses made on-site, flu shots and general medical exams. All services are free and no ID is required.
The clinic will be at Camp Jordan Arena, located at 323 Camp Jordan Parkway in East Ridge. The parking lot is scheduled to open no later than 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16. Ticket distribution typically begins at 3 a.m., and patients will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis in numerical order, according to their ticket number, when clinic doors open at 6 a.m. This process will repeat on Sunday, Nov. 17.
In some situations, such as inclement weather, volunteer cancellations, or other circumstances outside of the organizer's control, ticketing may occur earlier than 3 a.m. Remote Area Medical encourages everyone who would like services, especially dental services, to arrive as early as possible.
According to U.S. census data for East Ridge, about 13.9% of the population was living in poverty in 2018, a rate that exceeds the national average of 11.8%. Also, nearly 15.7% of the population under the age of 65 lacks health insurance coverage. Because of these factors, organizers expect great demand from residents in East Ridge and surrounding communities during the two-day clinic. In 2017, the last time Remote Area Medical was in East Ridge, 976 patients received care.
"Just like many communities around the country, there are people in the community of East Ridge who are struggling," said Jeff Eastman, CEO of Remote Area Medical. "We are always glad to return to Hamilton County to continue to help fill the gaps for those who don't have access to a dentist or eye doctor and provide care for those in need."
The East Ridge clinic is still in need of vision professionals and dental providers to volunteer their time and skills. For more information or to volunteer, visit www.ramusa.org or call 865-579-1530.