RAM's free clinics full of needy patients, but slowed by red tape
In a Nutshell
Remote Area Medical (RAM), a charity founded by Stan Brock in the 1980s, now runs 90 pop-up clinics yearly in the US, providing free dental, eye, and medical care to uninsured patients amid overwhelming demand, as seen in packed parking lots 18 years after its first 60 Minutes feature. State licensing laws block out-of-state volunteer doctors and dentists from practicing even for charity weekends, slashing clinic capacity from 60+ chairs to 20 in restrictive states despite laws like Tennessee's Volunteer Health Care Services Act allowing it. RAM's CEO and volunteers urge national legislation for interstate practice to unleash more providers and expand free care, as patient needs grow rather than fade.
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60 minutes overtime. >> That's amazing. >> It looks really good. >> Yep. >> How will this make a difference for you? >> Night and day. That gave me my life back. >> Gave you your life back. This week on 60 Minutes, we return to a charity that we first met in 2008. It's called Remote Area Medical, known as RAM.
Heart disease. >> RAM started in the 1980s, created by an eccentric Englishman and daredevil pilot named Stan Brock. It was started to drop doctors and medicine into remote parts of the South American jungle. But then they realized there was another population that was isolated from medical care, Americans who lacked insurance.
And so Stan started doing these popup clinics in the United States to take all comers, anyone, no questions asked, especially those people who didn't have insurance. We are still able to see a few more patients. >> Back in 2008 when we did our story, RAM was holding about 12 clinics a year. But then immediately after the 60 Minutes story went on the air, $4 million in donations came in, plus thousands of more volunteers signed up. And today, RAM is doing about 90 clinics a year. All right, >> you're good.
One of the things that we found striking about our return to RAM was how the parking lot really hasn't changed. There still were so many people seeking dental care because dental care isn't covered in so many health plans. Hundreds of people seeking eye care, people who can't see well going in and having their eyes examined and glasses made for them right on the spot.
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