Remote Area Medical (RAM) is a large non-profit health care organization that operates throughout the United States and several other countries. Founded in 1985, it provides free vision, dental, and other medical services for uninsured and underserved individuals in rural or economically undeveloped communities. RAM serves on the principles of respect, compassion, and humanity, aiming to alleviate suffering and prevent pain without increasing people’s financial burden (“About RAM,” n.d.). It may be regarded as a well-developed system that possesses several components that ensure its functioning, including RAM headquarters, Community Host Groups (CHGs), and volunteers.
In general, RAM operates in a format of temporary pop-up clinics, established by the organization’s staff members controlled by its board headed. In order to invite RAM to a community, its leaders, non-profit, and other active members should cooperate and form CHGs (“Bring RAM to your community,” n.d.). While RAM members provide mobile units, dental and vision equipment, tools, logistics, and organization for a clinic, CHGs are responsible for the recruitment of volunteers and health care providers (“Bring RAM to your community,” n.d.). All costs are shared by them, however, for individuals, all services are provided free of charge. All elements of RAM’s system are interconnected with a well-developed electronic system that allows to coordinate activities, monitor the availability of volunteers, and register patients.
In general, RAM provides great support for underprivileged and uninsured people. According to RAM members, staff, and volunteers, a considerable number of patients work, however, they do not receive health insurance or receive it according to health care policy, but it does not cover all needs (Watson, 2019). However, in pop-up clinics, they have an opportunity to check their health condition and remove pain for free. Moreover, as RAM provides dental and vision services that are frequently paid out-of-pocket, it makes them available for people. At the same time, the performance of RAM may be substantially impacted by health care policy – for instance, volunteering of health care professionals in different states may be prohibited due to the territorial limits of their licensing (Rural Health Information Hub, 2021). In addition, not all states allow to open pop-up clinics in churches, schools, and other facilities non-related to health care due to the standards of safety.
References
About RAM. (n.d.). RAM USA. Web.
Bring RAM to your community. (n.d.). RAM USA. Web.
Rural Health Information Hub. (2021). Remote Area Medical. Rural Health Information Hub. Web.
Watson, L. (2019). Scenes from the ragged edge of American health care. The Soapbox. Web.