Remote Area Medical (RAM)
Bringing free healthcare to people in need
Learn how to support this organization
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 90 million Americans over the age of 40 have vision and eye problems, and these can lead to many issues, including depression and isolation. Americans in need of dental care face similar issues. A Washington Post article by Eli Saslow featuring a RAM clinic, revealed that the federal government estimates 50 million rural Americans live in healthcare shortage areas and that hospitals, family doctors, surgeons, and paramedics have declined to 20-year lows. Dental and vision professionals are often deterred from practicing in rural areas because of the lower rate of reimbursement from insurance companies and from Medicare and Medicaid recipients. RAM endeavors to fill these gaps because it believes everyone deserves access to basic healthcare services as well as to dental and vision services. RAM works to address these troubling healthcare trends through its clinic program.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Pop-Up Clinics
Each year, RAM Remote Area Medical (RAM) operates 60+ pop-up clinics where licensed volunteer dental, vision, and medical professionals treat patients just as they would at a regular doctor's visit. For those who live at or below poverty levels, and/or, those who cannot afford medical co-payments or deductibles, these free services do more than treat a primary condition - they alleviate daily physical and psychological suffering, without relying on already strained finances. To further complicate matters, medical insurance policies typically do not include vision and dental care, which are offered as add-ons for an additional charge, amplifying financial strains for low-income families, the elderly and veterans. These options weigh heavily on their decision-making - and they can ultimately prolong a diagnosis that may prevent the onset of one or more serious chronic health conditions.
Telehealth
RAM Telehealth connects volunteer healthcare practitioners to individuals seeking healthcare services through online appointments, at partner facilities, and at pop-up telehealth locations served by RAM's mobile telehealth unif. Founded in 2020, the Telehealth program is a direct result of the dream and dedication of founder Stan Brock to provide care to those in need, regardless of their location. Today, individuals within the state of Tennessee, can access RAMs new and free virtual clinics through your phone and computer screens.
All VIRTUAL appointments are FREE, and no insurance is required. Services are provided on a first-come, first-served basis, by appointment online or in person at partner facilities and at mobile unit locations. Please contact RAM at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of patient visits
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Women and girls, Men and boys
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Individuals served
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Women and girls, Men and boys
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
RAM aims to provide access to dental, vision, and medical care to people who can't afford a visit to the doctor or who do not have access to one. RAM operates pop-up clinics that provide these services at no charge to fill gaps in our nation's healthcare systems. RAM is the pioneer of pop-up clinics and works with local communities at a grassroots level to address healthcare issues and transform access to quality health care for a better and healthier future.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
RAM uses pop-up clinic events to provide healthcare to underserved, isolated and impoverished communities. RAM clinic events provide general medical, dental and vision services in addition to health education. RAM leads and trains local organizations called "Community Host Groups" to mobilize needed volunteers and resources for clinics to be held in their local communities.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
RAM has the knowledge, reputation, resources and plans to move forward with our strategies. RAM provides all of the equipment, supplies, and logistical expertise necessary for the free pop-up clinic. RAM has the capability to transport supplies and equipment to any location in the 48 contiguous United States and Alaska and can transform most locations into clinic sites, including schools, places of worship, and municipal buildings.
RAM has pioneered pop-up clinic events and set the pace for how pop-up clinics should deliver compassionate and competent services. RAM is globally known as the leader in the nonprofit industry in relation to pop-up clinic events and our decades of experience and success allows us to execute our strategies with exceptional results.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
RAM has successfully held more than 1,300 pop-up clinics and served more than 940,450 individuals. Remote Area Medical has provided free dental, vision, and medical care thanks to more than 212,700 volunteers. Since its founding in 1985, RAM has provided more than $200 million worth of care at no cost to patients. Our goal is to continue operating pop-up clinics, and telehealth care in communities where it is needed.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Remote Area Medical (RAM)
Board of directorsas of 03/14/2024
Mr. John Myers
Remote Area Medical
Term: 2018 -
John Myers
Remote Area Medical - Board President Morgan Stanley; Management Consultants - Retired
John Osborn, DDS, FACD, FICD
House Mountain Dentistry -Tennesse Dental Association Past President
Doug Beeler
Retired Saf-T-Inc.
Robert DeNovo, DVM
Professor and Associate Dean - University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine
H. Wayne Hughes
ATS - Tennessee, Inc. Scott Cty Airport Authority; Scott Cty Chamber of Commerce
Dick Stoops
RAM – extensive volunteer commitment to RAM for over 10 years, domestically and internationally U.S. Army - Retired
Janet Southerland, DDS, MPH, PhD
Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer, LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA
Joseph E. Gambacorta, DDS
University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine
Karen Wilson
Remote Area Medical - retired
Chris Sawyer, MD
Tennova South Primary Care
Hazel Harper, DDS, MPH
General Dentistry, Washington, D.C. - Hazel J. Harper & Associates, LLC (Management Consultants)
Adam Carrera, M.D.
Opthamologist, Baptist Eye Surgeons, Knoxville, TN
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/11/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.