Free Dental/Vision/Medical Exams at this Pop-up Clinic
Contributed by Dr. Patrick Campaign
As a lifelong Anchorage resident and optometrist, I take pride in caring for my fellow Alaskans. Over the years, I have tended to thousands of people through medical eye examinations and volunteering. During that time, I’ve always wanted to do a large humanitarian event to help my fellow neighbors. After being homeless for a time myself, I understand the concerns which Medicaid and state programs do not cover, and especially for people who cannot afford healthcare, dental or vision services.
After years of planning and coordination, we are finally going to make that happen.
Remote Area Medical – RAM® – a major nonprofit provider of pop-up clinics delivering free, quality dental, vision and medical care to those in need – will hold a free, two-day clinic on April 15-16. RAM will be set up at the O’Malley Sports Complex, located at 11111 O’Malley Centre Dr., Anchorage, AK 99515. This clinic is in collaboration with the Mountainview Lions Club Foundation.
All RAM services are free, and no ID is required. Free dental, vision and medical services will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. The patient parking lot will open no later than 11:59 p.m. (midnight) on Friday night, April 14, and remain open for the duration of the clinic. Once in the parking lot, additional information regarding clinic-opening processes and next steps will be provided. Clinic doors open at 6am
Services available at the free RAM clinic include dental cleanings, dental fillings, dental extractions, dental X-rays, eye exams, eye health exams, eyeglass prescriptions, eyeglasses made on-site, women's health exams and general medical exams.
Due to time constraints, patients should be prepared to choose between DENTAL and VISION services. Medical services are offered, in addition to dental or vision services, free to every patient attending the clinic. If you are interested in joining me in helping others, we need volunteers of all types, medical or nonmedical. If your church would like to help supply food for volunteers, please reach out.
For more information, to donate or to volunteer, please visit www.ramusa.org or call 865-579-1530. A big thank you for assistance by the Providence Health Foundation, Credit Union One, Frontier Eye Care and many others!