Remote Area Medical: The BackStory
In his early thirties, Stan Brock co-starred on one of the most popular television series ever broadcast, seen by 32,000,000 viewers every week. Today, decades later, he sleeps on a grass mat in the basement of an unheated building. He has no bank account, no car, no possessions of any value. And he is living his dream.
From Time magazine: “Brock now devotes himself full time and without pay to providing medical care around the world.”Remote Area Medical, the organization Stan founded and leads, has delivered free medical, dental and vision care valued at $37,000,000 to people in need around the world. Sixty percent of RAM’s expeditions are within the United States, to rural and urban areas where there is an overwhelming need for healthcare among the uninsured and underinsured.
Headquartered in Knoxville, TN, in an abandoned school building donated by the county, Stan and his volunteer staff have led 570 expeditions – everywhere from major cities, to the back country of Appalachia, to remote jungle villages. Doctors and nurses donate their time and pay their own way. Supplies are donated or purchased with contributions. At least 90% of the funds RAM receives are spent on direct patient care.. There is no cost to patients, taxpayers or the government
The vision for Remote Area Medical was formed in the Amazon rainforest. Born and educated in England, Stan’s passion for adventure led him to visit the wilds of the Guyana jungle in his late teens. He stayed for fifteen years, living among the Wapishana Indians, working a cattle ranch in an area so remote that the nearest doctor was 26 days away – a fact often brought home when, like the Indians, he suffered illness and injury without access to medical care.
Stan left South America a seasoned adventurer, to co-star on “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.” But he vowed to return one day to deliver basic medical care to the Wapishana. His resolve deepened as he traveled the world to wrestle anacondas, lasso giraffes and capture lions for the television cameras. He saw other isolated populations, people who suffered and died as they had for centuries without hope of seeing a doctor. In 1985, he left the entertainment world behind and founded Remote Area Medical.
Stan has kept his promise to the Wapishana – RAM now supports a permanent hospital at the edge of the rainforest, with a bush plane rescue service to reach the most remote Indian villages.
And in the U.S. where the majority of RAM missions now occur, many thousands have received the healthcare they and their families so desperately need. In recent years, RAM’s work has been widely recognized in the national and international media, and with resolutions from the legislatures of Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia honoring the organization. But the greatest accolades of all are the heartfelt thanks from the many thousands of individuals and families to whom RAM has brought help and hope.
About RAM LA
Remote Area Medical (RAM), a Knoxville, TN based non-profit medical charity, will dramatically expand its program of free healthcare with a massive event planned for Los Angeles this spring. April 27th through May 3rd, RAM will provide free medical, dental and vision care to thousands of individuals and families – at no cost to the patient, the taxpayer or the government. The free clinic will be held at the L.A. Sports Arena, generously donated for the event.
Long known for its humanitarian medical missions into third world countries and depressed rural areas of the United States, RAM is beginning a series of “expeditions” into the heart of urban America, where the many millions of uninsured and underinsured continue to grow. RAM has conducted some 600 of its missions to date, and the Los Angeles event will be the largest ever.
RAM provides free care to anyone who needs it – there is no income test, no proof of insurance, no requirement of any kind except to attend. Medical and non-medical personnel volunteer their time and even pay their own way to the event; supplies and equipment are donated or provided by RAM.
There will be 100 dental stations, 40 medical exam rooms, 25 eye exam lines. Dentistry will include cleanings, extractions, fillings, root canals and other procedures. Prescription eye glasses will be made and fitted on site. Minor medical procedures will be performed in addition to consultation and diagnoses. Pediatricians and pediatric dentists will be present. Follow-up care will be arranged for those who need it, with referrals to community clinics and private sector practices and facilities.
There will be a strong emphasis on education, prevention and self-care. Mammography, pap smears, diabetes screening blood pressure readings, and other services will be provided. Healthcare agencies and foundations are invited to provide patient education materials and counseling.
RAM has provided almost $40,000,000 of free care to date, offering what the healthcare system cannot – access to care for anyone who needs it. Patients are treated on a first come, first served basis. The all-volunteer organization operates on donations from private individuals across the country, the majority $20 or less, according to the organization’s founder and leader, Stan Brock.
Once known for his starring role on “Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom,” a Sunday night TV ritual for some 30 million viewers every week, Stan now works full time and without pay as the founder and volunteer CEO of the organization. “From RAM’s beginning in 1985,” he says, “we have never charged for our work. We just ask for the opportunity to provide care where it is most needed.” The charity has set up its free clinics locations ranging from a county fairgrounds in Appalachia to the city zoo in post-Katrina New Orleans. The Forum will be its largest venue thus far.
For seven days in spring, the Sports Arena will be transformed into an island of help and hope for thousands who so desperately need the care RAM can provide. Medical and non-medical volunteers will be part of an historic healthcare event. More information is available and volunteers can register at the event web site, www.ramfreeclinic.org
© 2010 CareNow
Contact us at volunteer@ramfreeclinic.org