High attendance at 10th annual Pahrump Remote Area Medical clinic — PHOTOS
Over the weekend, Remote Area Medical (RAM) returned to Pahrump for its 10th year of providing free health care to the local community.
“Pahrump is definitely a health-care island. We have a lack of providers for medical, dental, vision, and mental health, so this really fills that gap and that need,” said NyE Communities Coalition Board President Ryan Muccio. “We have a lot of patients that don’t have health insurance. Even if they do have health insurance, it’s not affordable for them. They can’t afford their co-pay. They can’t afford a deductible. So, it’s really important for us to be able to provide this for them.”
Muccio co-led and hosted Pahrump’s 10th annual RAM clinic, alongside NyE Communities Coalition CEO Stacy Smith.
“The very first RAM that I went to was in Las Vegas, around 11, 12 years ago. I was just struck at that event about the number of services that were delivered, the care that was delivered, and how many people really needed medical care, dental care, and vision care,” Smith stated. “As we’ve been able to look at the needs that are happening in our community and the number of medically underserved people that we have here in Nye and Esmeralda County, it’s been really important to me to try to reach out and serve as many people as possible.”
Health-care services were available on Saturday, Oct. 4, and Sunday, Oct. 5, at Pahrump Valley High School. There were no qualifying criteria required to receive free services during the weekend event, whether or not patients had insurance, or even ID.
“Remote Area Medical has been around for about 40 years,” RAM Clinic Coordinator Hailey Vittetoe told the Pahrump Valley Times. “We go far and wide across the country doing free health care.”
A wide variety of health care was available during the two-day event. Dental services, including extractions, fillings, and cleanings, were offered. Comprehensive eye exams were provided, and glasses were even made on-site. General medical exams and medication refills were available, and mental health counselors were also present.
“This is a very good program, especially for those that don’t have any money,” said Pahrump resident Irene Valentin while she was waiting for vision services. “It’s worth staying in line early in the morning. It’s a blessing to have something like this because this is a rural area.”
According to a RAM press release, more than 450 patients were served at this year’s clinic, with a total value of care exceeding $300,000.
“A lot of people don’t have high-quality health insurance. We’re not a wealthy community and there’s a lot of people that are kind of slipping through the cracks,” explained paperwork volunteer Kelly Green. “This helps give people some dignity back to their life. We’re a good community, but we’re not a rich community, and people need help.”
The same RAM press release stated that more than 450 volunteers helped at the clinic throughout the weekend. On Monday following the event, NyE Communities Coalition Board President Ryan Muccio told the Pahrump Valley Times that the more than 450 volunteers were valued at $163,440. Local volunteers helped at the clinic, but traveling volunteers, like registered nurse Celine Cinq, who came to Pahrump from Reno, also provided support.
“This is the first time that I’ve volunteered with RAM,” Cinq detailed in between triaging patients. “I have been wanting to volunteer for some time, but it’s only this year that I got the opportunity.”
For more information about Remote Area Medical, visit www.ramusa.org.
To learn more about the NyE Communities Coalition, visit nyecc.org.
Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com
