Monday, June 30, 2008
RAM Successful
Hundreds of people in Pike and neighboring counties are feeling and seeing better today, thanks to the first Pike County Remote Area Medical (RAM) Expedition, which took place at Pike County Central High School last weekend.
“This year’s event was very successful—so successful that RAM has already agreed to come back to Pike County next year,” said Pike County Judge Executive Wayne T. Rutherford.
Nearly 500 doctors, dentists, opthamologists, nurses, and other volunteers worked tirelessly Saturday and Sunday, distributing $124,430 worth of medical, vision and dental services to those in the area who needed it.
“I appreciate all of the medical professionals and volunteers who ‘stepped up to the plate’ to help distribute medical care to those in need,” said Pike County Social Services Commissioner and RAM Coordinator Carol Napier.
The clinic first opened its doors Saturday at 6 a.m., but by 7:15 a.m., volunteers had to begin turning people away, as they entered the high school. In less than an hour and a half Saturday morning, almost 800 people had signed up to participate in the free clinic. Officials had planned to provide services to 500 each day.
Some of those who participated in Saturday’s clinic arrived as early as Friday evening, to be sure to get a spot first in line, since services were done on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The most successful portion of RAM was in the area of dental services, where a congregation of dentists, hygienists and dental students, coordinated by Pike County dentist Bill Collins, gave free care to 435 adults and 6 children. Over the course of two days, the dental team made 520 extractions, filled 211 cavities, made 20 sets of full and partial dentures, and gave 122 cleanings.
According to Collins, the dental services provided would not have been possible without the aid of dental students from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry or dental hygienist students from Big Sandy Community and Technical College.
Collins said Dr. Dixon, from dental hygienist school at BSCTC was the first to sign up to volunteer for the event.
Collins said the University of Louisville’s community dental health director, Dr. Lee Mayer, the dean, Dr. John Sauk, 16 faculty members and 38 dental students worked tirelessly during the course of the weekend.
“I thought the weekend was successful not only for the patients but also as an educational experience. It was a great community outreach experience for our students,” said Mayer.
Mayer added the event was a good collaboration between “town and gown,” meaning the event was a good example of a union between members of the community and members of academia.
University of Louisville dental students also said they enjoyed the experience.
“It’s been rewarding,” said second year student Jeff Broadbent. “I’ve had so many people I didn’t even know come up and give me a hug after I worked on them. One guy who I removed a tooth for even came back the next day to thank me again,” he added.
Drew Steel, another second year student, agreed. “It’s great to see how appreciative they (participants) are. I glad to know that I helped people who came in with excruciating pain feel better and be able to have better lives because of it,” he said.
While the dental services provided by RAM were extraordinary, the vision services that RAM was able to provide were limited, due to an obscure Kentucky law. Only days before RAM’s kick-off Saturday morning, RAM volunteer optometrists and the event’s coordinators discovered the existence of a law that blocks optometrists from performing volunteer vision services outside of their offices.
Because of the law, several area optometrists who had volunteered for the event were unable to come, which limited the number of people who could receive vision services to less than 60 each day.
Nearly 1,000 people came to RAM to receive services over the weekend, but many left when they discovered they would not be able to receive vision care.
However, of those limited participants who were able to receive vision services, 95 percent left with new glasses, said Pike County opthamologist and RAM volunteer Keith Ison.
“Almost everyone we’ve seen gets a pair of glasses. We’ve given out about 100-115 pairs (over the weekend),” he said.
Ison added that he was glad he could help with RAM because there are people in the area who cannot afford to see an eye doctor. By volunteering, he said he felt he was giving back to his community.
Pike County Judge/Executive Wayne T. Rutherford has already begun working to change the laws before next year’s Pike County RAM Weekend.
“I feel that the legislation that blocks optometrists from giving free vision care to those who need it is degenerative. I will be working with Senator Ray Jones, who attended the event on Saturday evening, to pass legislation to make it easier to hold these types of free clinics in the Commonwealth,” he said.
“Kentucky is the only state we know of, at present, that has barriers to free clinics,” Rutherford added.
Despite the Kentucky regulations that limited RAM’s ability to provide vision services, the weekend was still a great successful. Some 624 people received 722 medical, vision, and dental services.
Besides the vision and dental components, there were many other free services provided. People were given diabetes screenings and education, cholesterol screenings, skin cancer screenings, specialist exams, and women were given pap smears.
“This year’s event was very successful—so successful that RAM has already agreed to come back to Pike County next year,” said Pike County Judge Executive Wayne T. Rutherford.
Nearly 500 doctors, dentists, opthamologists, nurses, and other volunteers worked tirelessly Saturday and Sunday, distributing $124,430 worth of medical, vision and dental services to those in the area who needed it.
“I appreciate all of the medical professionals and volunteers who ‘stepped up to the plate’ to help distribute medical care to those in need,” said Pike County Social Services Commissioner and RAM Coordinator Carol Napier.
The clinic first opened its doors Saturday at 6 a.m., but by 7:15 a.m., volunteers had to begin turning people away, as they entered the high school. In less than an hour and a half Saturday morning, almost 800 people had signed up to participate in the free clinic. Officials had planned to provide services to 500 each day.
Some of those who participated in Saturday’s clinic arrived as early as Friday evening, to be sure to get a spot first in line, since services were done on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The most successful portion of RAM was in the area of dental services, where a congregation of dentists, hygienists and dental students, coordinated by Pike County dentist Bill Collins, gave free care to 435 adults and 6 children. Over the course of two days, the dental team made 520 extractions, filled 211 cavities, made 20 sets of full and partial dentures, and gave 122 cleanings.
According to Collins, the dental services provided would not have been possible without the aid of dental students from the University of Louisville School of Dentistry or dental hygienist students from Big Sandy Community and Technical College.
Collins said Dr. Dixon, from dental hygienist school at BSCTC was the first to sign up to volunteer for the event.
Collins said the University of Louisville’s community dental health director, Dr. Lee Mayer, the dean, Dr. John Sauk, 16 faculty members and 38 dental students worked tirelessly during the course of the weekend.
“I thought the weekend was successful not only for the patients but also as an educational experience. It was a great community outreach experience for our students,” said Mayer.
Mayer added the event was a good collaboration between “town and gown,” meaning the event was a good example of a union between members of the community and members of academia.
University of Louisville dental students also said they enjoyed the experience.
“It’s been rewarding,” said second year student Jeff Broadbent. “I’ve had so many people I didn’t even know come up and give me a hug after I worked on them. One guy who I removed a tooth for even came back the next day to thank me again,” he added.
Drew Steel, another second year student, agreed. “It’s great to see how appreciative they (participants) are. I glad to know that I helped people who came in with excruciating pain feel better and be able to have better lives because of it,” he said.
While the dental services provided by RAM were extraordinary, the vision services that RAM was able to provide were limited, due to an obscure Kentucky law. Only days before RAM’s kick-off Saturday morning, RAM volunteer optometrists and the event’s coordinators discovered the existence of a law that blocks optometrists from performing volunteer vision services outside of their offices.
Because of the law, several area optometrists who had volunteered for the event were unable to come, which limited the number of people who could receive vision services to less than 60 each day.
Nearly 1,000 people came to RAM to receive services over the weekend, but many left when they discovered they would not be able to receive vision care.
However, of those limited participants who were able to receive vision services, 95 percent left with new glasses, said Pike County opthamologist and RAM volunteer Keith Ison.
“Almost everyone we’ve seen gets a pair of glasses. We’ve given out about 100-115 pairs (over the weekend),” he said.
Ison added that he was glad he could help with RAM because there are people in the area who cannot afford to see an eye doctor. By volunteering, he said he felt he was giving back to his community.
Pike County Judge/Executive Wayne T. Rutherford has already begun working to change the laws before next year’s Pike County RAM Weekend.
“I feel that the legislation that blocks optometrists from giving free vision care to those who need it is degenerative. I will be working with Senator Ray Jones, who attended the event on Saturday evening, to pass legislation to make it easier to hold these types of free clinics in the Commonwealth,” he said.
“Kentucky is the only state we know of, at present, that has barriers to free clinics,” Rutherford added.
Despite the Kentucky regulations that limited RAM’s ability to provide vision services, the weekend was still a great successful. Some 624 people received 722 medical, vision, and dental services.
Besides the vision and dental components, there were many other free services provided. People were given diabetes screenings and education, cholesterol screenings, skin cancer screenings, specialist exams, and women were given pap smears.
# posted by Joe Kinzer @ 5:59 PM 
