Over the last five years, Remote Area Medical has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of free medical care to thousands of members of the Pahrump community and surrounding areas, and the international nonprofit organization is now in the midst of preparing to bring its invaluable services back yet again for 2021.
“We actually just had our official visit from RAM Headquarters in Tennessee, they flew out for the site visit and inspection, so things are progressing nicely. We already have some health care professionals signed up, which is really exciting and encouraging this early in the game. We’re excited, things are really moving along,” Pahrump RAM Committee member Ryan Muccio, who has been instrumental in organizing the local clinic each year it has come to the valley, said with obvious zeal. “This year’s clinic is set for Saturday and Sunday, October 2 and 3 and it will be held at the same location as last year, in the Pathways Innovative Education Building on Calvada Boulevard and S. Mount Charleston Drive.”
For those who may be unfamiliar with the clinics provided by Remote Area Medical, more commonly referred to as RAM, these events are held throughout not just the United States, but all over the globe. Team members travel to various locations all around the planet in an effort to fulfill RAM’s mission of preventing pain and alleviating suffering by providing free, quality health care to those in need. RAM, started 35 years ago by the late Stan Brock, brings together communities to offer a wide array of medical services and exams, including dental and eye care, all at no cost, ensuring that those who cannot afford the burden of medical bills can still receive the care they need.
With its goal of serving as many communities as possible, RAM does not typically make return trips to the same location year after year. One exception to this has been Pahrump. From the very first year that RAM made its way to the valley, the need has been so obvious that organization officials have made the decision to return to Pahrump, a fact for which Muccio said he is extremely grateful.
“We feel super honored and encouraged by the fact that they keep coming back here every year. RAM recognizes the need for our community for access to quality health care that is no-cost and I think that is what drives them to keep coming back, as well as the hospitality of our community,” Muccio remarked. “So we feel so blessed that they see that and keep coming out. They always tell us every year, the RAM staff fights to come to our clinic because they have tons of staff that do different clinics throughout the country and the world, but they are always fighting to be the ones who get to come work the Pahrump clinic and that makes us feel good. It tells a good story about Pahrump.”
As for what the local community can do to lend a hand in this massive medical effort, Muccio said the three main components are the medical professionals, general volunteers and of course, the patients themselves.
“We definitely need general volunteers and medical professionals to sign up, and patients to come on out!” Muccio stated. “We’re always looking for dentists and eye doctors. Medical always seems to be really well staffed, so to speak, we always have a lot of doctors that come out from here and from Vegas, so we’re doing really well in that area but dentists and eye doctors are definitely needed.”
For the past five years, dental care, in particular, has proven very popular and in high demand, and the more medical professionals who are willing to step up and volunteer their time to help positively impact the lives of others, the more people that can be served throughout the two-day effort.
Medical professionals may be at the forefront of the RAM clinic but the general volunteers are just as imperative to success. There are all sorts of tasks that those who do not have health care expertise can undertake and without those general volunteers, which are something of a backbone for the event, RAM would not be able to have the same impact locally.
“General volunteers are very important, we’re definitely pushing that this year,” Muccio said. “Those jobs can vary, anywhere from getting patients checked in and helping the escorts to show people where they are going to helping with food service, cleaning, running, there are so many different areas that anybody can do, you don’t have to be a medical professional to volunteer at RAM. If you have a desire to give back to your local community, we’ll put you to work.
“And it really is fulfilling. People call it, ‘catching the RAM bug’ and it’s just so rewarding to see that you are a part of this major event where everyone comes together and changes people’s lives in two days,” Muccio continued. “It’s awesome. A volunteer can witness somebody coming into the clinic who is in pain and so maybe they are short-tempered or grumpy because they are miserable, and then they get to see that same person walk out with a smile on their face and a sigh of relief, and that is what is so rewarding. You get to see that immediate, instant gratification that patients are receiving. And it really changes their life. That sounds like an exaggeration or over-dramatization but it’s really not. We’ve had so many people tell us that this has changed their life and their outlook on life.”
As for precisely how the free medical clinic will flow this year, Muccio said the details were still being worked out but he did not anticipate that there would be an appointment process as there was in 2020. As soon as those details are all nailed down, Muccio said he would provide that information to the community.
“It’s a large undertaking. About 10 to 15 of us meet twice a month and that’s kind of the core committee, and it takes hundreds of volunteers to pull this off, so it’s a big undertaking but it’s worth it. Our community needs it and we’re here for it,” Muccio concluded.
For more information on RAM or to sign up as a medical provider or general volunteer for the 2021 Pahrump RAM Clinic visit www.RAMUSA.org
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com