A shortage of medical volunteers was the main concern shared by organizers at this year’s Remote Area Medical seven-day free health clinic at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
“Everybody tends to think somebody else will do it,” RAM/LA Medical Director Dr. Natalie Nevins told the Los Angeles Times.
“We need optometrists, ophthalmologists desperately.”
In efforts to gauge the number of patients signed up to attend each day of the expedition, as well as to reduce the number of patients waiting in line overnight, organizers began distributing color-coded wristbands for individual services on April 25, two days before the opening ceremony.
Last year’s local expedition provided 14,561 services to 6,344 uninsured and underinsured patients, while hundreds of weary travelers who had camped out and slept in their cars were turned away.
According to the Los Angeles Times, this year’s RAM/LA event provided services to 6,619 patients, consisting of 4,430 dental visits, 548 pap smears, 962 podiatry visits, 1,439 acupuncture visits, 1,090 HIV tests, 430 mammograms, and 3,302 vision visits.
From April 27 to May 3, organizers had hoped to help an estimated 8,400 people, but a shortage of volunteers made it difficult to meet the 1,200 patient per day quota.
Nancy Montgomery, coordinator at Cerritos College’s student health services, worked at last year’s RAM/LA event at the Forum in Inglewood, but was unable to help out at this year’s expedition due to the current high demand for medical services at the campus clinic.
“[Student Health Services employees] see over 100 students per day here, and it would have shut down our clinic on campus if we had attended,” Montgomery said.
While the Times reported that state-licensed medical specialists were highest in demand by RAM/LA organizers, Nursing student and Project H.O.P.E. member, Gloria Elias, would have considered attending as a general volunteer had she known about the event in advance.
“It would have been a good opportunity for students of Project H.O.P.E. to volunteer, since it’s our mission to provide for the underserved in our community who don’t have healthcare,” Elias said.
Maggie Cordero, director of pathway programs and Project H.O.P.E.’s new coordinator as of this February, says that aside from their work at CVS/pharmacies and at Downey Regional Hospital, Project H.O.P.E. students volunteer at other venues, but not under a coordinated effort by the program.
Elias, who has served two years on Cerritos College’s Chicanos/Latinos for Community Medicine Board, hopes to start a new club on campus to provide students additional volunteer-work opportunities in the healthcare field, and possibly provide assistance at future RAM/LA expeditions.
The date for next year’s RAM/LA free clinic has not been released.
For a list of Los Angeles community clinics providing free and low cost services year round, visit http://www.ramfreeclinic.org/.
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