Remote Area Medical- RAM™—a major non-profit provider of mobile medical clinics delivering free, high-quality, dental, vision and medical care to underserved and uninsured individuals—is coming to the Lake Charles Civic Center, located at 900 Lakeshore Drive, on September 15 and 16, 2018. The event is held in partnership with the City of Lake Charles. 

Services available at the RAM clinic will include dental cleanings, dental fillings, dental extractions, dental x-rays, eye exams, eyeglass prescriptions, eyeglasses made on-site, women's health exams, and general medical exams. All RAM services are free and no ID is required.    

“Access to quality healthcare is essential if we are to truly battle the root causes of poverty within a community,” said Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter. “We believe that this event will have lasting effects throughout our community. It truly is a Herculean effort to put this event on. We hope to connect our residents in need to health services and care that may be available to them year-round.”

Ticket distribution will begin on September 15 at 3 a.m. in the Lake Charles Civic Center parking lot. The clinic parking lot will open at 12 a.m. midnight on Saturday, September 15. Ticket distribution begins at 3 a.m., and patients will be seen in chronological order according to their ticket number when clinic doors open at 6 a.m. This process will repeat on Sunday, September 16.

“We’re calling this event Operation Healing and Restoration, and it could serve thousands depending on the volunteers,” said Emily Ashworth, RN, BSN and the city’s wellness nurse coordinator. “There is such a great need in our area for medical care, and we are glad to be a part of the solution.” 

Those wishing to volunteer may register at www.ramusa.org.  Those in need of step-by-step instructions can to go www.cityoflakecharles.com download and print instructions.  You can also access the RAM link from this site. For more information, please call 337 491-1378 or email emily.ashworth@cityoflc.us.

Financial and physical support is being provided by CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital, CHRISTUS Lake Area Hospital, Louisiana Healthcare Connections, Lake Charles Memorial Hospital, West Calcasieu-Cameron Hospital, Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, Calcasieu Medical Reserve Corps, United Way of Southwest Louisiana, Southwest Louisiana Center for Health Services (SWLA), KPLC 7 News, National Bio-Care, and Healthy Blue.

About Remote Area Medical: RAM is a major non-profit organization that operates mobile medical clinics delivering free, high-quality, dental, vision, and medical services to underserved and uninsured individuals who do not have access to or cannot afford a doctor. RAM’s Corps of more than 120,000 Humanitarian Volunteers is comprised of licensed dental, vision, and medical professionals who have treated more than 740,000 women, men, and children delivering $120 million worth of free health care services. This year, RAM clinics have been held in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, South Dakota, and Virginia.