Popup Health Clinic Offering Free Dental, Medical, and Vision Care to Anyone
Contributed 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 our first trial clinics last year successfully seeing over 500 Alaskans and over a quarter million dollars of free health care from local volunteer clinicians, I am excited to volunteer running it again!
Partnered with the local Mountain View Lions Club, 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 20-21. RAM will be set up at Begich Middle School, located at 7440 Creekside Center Drive, Anchorage, AK 99504. This project was supported by a grant awarded by the Municipality of Anchorage and the Anchorage Health Department.
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 19, 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 6 a.m.
Free services available at the RAM clinic include dental cleanings, dental fillings, dental extractions, dental X-rays, eye health exams, eyeglass prescriptions, eyeglasses shipped to you, women's health exams, lab work, mammograms, 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.