Pahrump Remote Area Medical Clinic goes appointment-only

For the past four years, the annual Remote Area Medical Clinic has brought hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of free medical services to the residents of Pahrump and the surrounding areas and despite major challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event is shaping up to do just the same.

“We’re super excited to host our fifth RAM clinic, even in light of COVID-19,” Pahrump RAM Committee Co-Chair Ryan Muccio told the Pahrump Valley Times in an interview last week. He admitted that he had been somewhat worried that this event, like so many others this year, would be canceled due to the virus. However, that was not the case and the Pahrump RAM Committee is forging forth with plans to hold the clinic this October.

“As the leadership team sat down and thought about it, we felt that it was actually more important to hold it now than ever before, because of COVID-19. There has been a general lack of access to health care services like dental and vision, which were deemed non-essential in the beginning. We felt it was incumbent upon us to make sure this event happens. We have been working super close with RAM, which has established fantastic protocols to make the clinic as safe as possible for not only the patients but the volunteers and everyone involved,” Muccio stated.

He remarked that he and fellow RAM Committee member Christie Franklin, a nurse at Desert View Hospital, were actually in Idaho at the time, checking out how the new processes work and volunteering for the weekend. “We’ve been super pleased with what we’ve seen,” he said.

The Pahrump Valley’s fifth consecutive RAM Clinic is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 3 and 4 at Pathways Innovative Education, 2000 S. Mount Charleston Drive and those hoping to take advantage of the array of no-cost health care services, ranging from general medical to mental health to dental and vision, will need to take note of a few significant changes to the 2020 event.

Appointment process

First and foremost, the 2020 RAM Clinic is moving to an appointment-only system, which will help control the number of people inside the clinic at one time, while also allowing for waiting periods in between patients, time that will be used for sanitization.

“I guess the major change is in the ticketing and line-up process this year. We are going to appointments only, which I am super excited about. I think we should have done that even before COVID-19,” Muccio explained. “It definitely alleviates a lot of stress and aggravation from waiting so long. I think it’ll really be a benefit to everybody.”

In order to secure an appointment at the 2020 RAM Clinic, patients will need to call and make an appointment with RAM headquarters. The phone number for reserving appointments is not available just yet, however, so potential attendees should mark Tuesday, Sept. 1 on their calendars, as that is when the number will be officially published and go live. The appointment line number will be posted to the NyE Communities Coalition’s Facebook page on Sept. 1 and will also be included in future coverage by the Pahrump Valley Times.

In the meantime, for those who may have questions prior to the publishing of that number, Muccio recommended they call the coalition at 775-727-9970.

Once a patient has secured their time slot at the clinic, they will also need to keep an eye out for a follow-up phone call one week prior to their appointment. They will be required to confirm their appointment within 24 hours or that appointment will be canceled. Muccio stressed the importance of ensuring that patients provide RAM headquarters with a phone number that the patient has reliable access to, because if they fail to confirm, they will lose their spot.

At the clinic

Patients will then be required to arrive at Pathways Innovative Education at least 15 minutes before their appointment time and wait in the parking lot. They will receive a text message notifying them that the clinic is ready to receive them and they will proceed to a check-in location, where they will have their temperature taken and complete a COVID-19 screening questionnaire.

Those without cellphones or text messaging capabilities will not be left out of the RAM Clinic, ether, with Muccio explaining, “One challenge that we have thought about is the text messaging aspect. Some folks may not have a cellphone that they can text with, some may not have a cellphone at all, some of the elderly population may not know how to use it. So we’re going to have parking lot attendants that will be able to assist people with that. We don’t want that to be a barrier for anyone.”

Past medical history questionnaires will also be available via a link for those who can receive text messages, so while they are waiting in the parking lot, patients can fill out that information online, resulting in a quicker process once they are admitted into the clinic.

It is important to note that patients cannot receive both dental and vision services in the same day. If a patient wants both services, they will need to set up two appointments. However, medical and/or mental health can be done in combination with either dental or vision.

Cleaning and sterilization

As for the new protocols that have been put in place to address the COVID-19 concerns, Muccio said major precautions are being taken and he is confident that these will help provide a safe clinic for all.

“Everybody will be required to wear a mask. We ask people to please bring their own mask. We will have a small supply on hand for those who may not have one but we do ask that they bring their own, if possible,” Muccio stated. “Everything will adhere to CDC guidelines with social distancing. There will be hand-sanitizing stations located throughout the entire clinic. All surfaces will be wiped down frequently with an alcohol solution. Everyone entering the clinic, whether it’s staff, volunteers, media or patients, will be required to stop at the checkpoint and get their temperature taken and be asked the screening questions.”

Muccio continued, “The biggest change people will see is in the dental area. In the past, it’s just been an open gym floor with a bunch of dental chairs and equipment. Everything now will be contained within a 10-by-10 tent for each treatment chair, which I am also excited about because it will provide a little extra privacy.”

Muccio detailed that each dental tent will be hooked up to a HEPA filter, which will circulate the air and after each patient, all the surfaces in the tent will be wiped and all equipment used will be sanitized. Additionally, all dental providers will be given a menu of equipment, which they will be able to order off of for each patient. Those supplies will be delivered to the dental providers in sanitized packaging.

“Depending on the procedure that is done, the tent will then be fogged with disinfectant and will sit closed for 20 minutes before another patient will be allowed in. That process will happen for any dental procedure that will create an aerosol, like cleanings and filings,” Muccio added.

There will also be two specific tents set up for those working at the event, one dedicated to the donning of personal protective equipment and another dedicated to the removal of said equipment.

A silver lining in the pandemic

As the interview drew to a close, Muccio was asked about the status of medical professionals and volunteers, which he was happy to report was not proving to be a problem at all. In fact, COVID-19 has provided a something of a positive by way of inspiring people to help others in whatever way they can.

“At this point, we are actually doing better this year than we were last year. We’re very pleased with that,” Muccio said of the volunteer force that has signed on so far. “I think I attribute that to the fact that everyone is kind of in the ‘We’re all in this together’ mode or spirit, and so I think when people are presented with an opportunity to give back and do their part, it’s more important now than ever so people are jumping on board with that. I’m feeling really good and hope that we have a very successful clinic again this year.”

For more information on Remote Area Medical as an international organization and to sign up as a medical provider or general volunteer at the Pahrump clinic visit www.RAMUSA.org

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com

Author’s note: This story was updated on August 29 to reflect the new date for when the appointment line for the 2020 RAM Clinic will open.