Dave Burge slept in his truck in freezing weather just to get a dental appointment. He needed dentures but didn’t have the money. Burge was one of more than 1,200 people who lined up — some waiting days — for a free Remote Area Medical (RAM) pop-up clinic in Knoxville, Tennessee. RAM sends volunteers and supplies around the country to provide medical, dental and vision care to uninsured and underinsured Americans.
“When they hand you your life back, that’s life changing,” Burge said. “That’s what teeth mean to me. I could be a normal human again.”
Burge’s need grew from years of medical and financial strain. After an uninsured drunk driver nearly killed him in 2012, his bills topped about $140,000. A later construction accident further damaged his teeth. With little savings left, he kept working and postponed care until he could no longer afford treatment.
Sandra Tallent drove more than 200 miles from Alabama and slept in her car for two nights to reach the RAM clinic. She, too, said she couldn’t have paid for dentures without the free services.
Affording health care is a struggle for many Americans. A March Gallup poll found roughly a third of people have skipped meals, borrowed money or cut back on utilities to cover health costs. Recent policy shifts have produced mixed results: federal negotiation has lowered some drug prices, but Affordable Care Act premiums have risen and some Medicaid funding has been reduced, leaving millions without coverage and projections indicating more could lose it in coming years.
At RAM events, about half the patients arrive with no insurance. Others technically have coverage but cannot afford copays or deductibles or cannot find providers who accept their plans. RAM CEO Chris Hall says roughly 60% of patients seek dental care, about 30% request eye exams and glasses, and roughly 5% come for medical treatment. Volunteers also offer screenings for blood sugar, blood pressure, breast and skin cancer and other conditions.
RAM began decades ago when founder Stan Brock took medical help to remote regions and later shifted focus to uninsured Americans. Today the organization stages clinics nearly every weekend across the U.S. Each event can cost between $100,000 and $500,000, paid mostly by donations; Hall says more than 81% of RAM’s supporters are individual donors making modest monthly gifts. Clinic space and many supplies are frequently donated as well.
In Knoxville, 887 volunteers turned out, including doctors, dentists and medical students who covered their own travel and lodging. Brad Sands, who coordinates RAM clinics and is a former paramedic, says volunteers come without judgment and contribute their time and money to help neighbors in need.
Dr. Glen Goldstein, a dentist from New Jersey, began volunteering after a 2008 60 Minutes story about RAM. Volunteering has become a family activity: his wife, children and daughter-in-law now help at clinics. Goldstein described seeing patients who had gone without care so long they had lost hope, including young people who asked to have all their teeth removed because they could not afford repairs — a request he called heartbreaking.
Since its founding, RAM has treated more than a million patients with the assistance of over a quarter-million volunteers. After the 2008 broadcast, the organization received about $4 million in donations and saw volunteer numbers rise, allowing it to expand to roughly 90 clinics a year.
At the Knoxville weekend, RAM provided more than $1 million in free care. Volunteers treated 1,224 patients, produced 588 pairs of eyeglasses, pulled 1,467 teeth, filled 283 cavities, performed 342 dental cleanings and conducted 247 medical exams.
For denture patients, the transformation was dramatic. The clinic included a trailer outfitted with 3D printers to produce dentures on site. Connor Gibson, a 22-year-old engineer who helped build and run the trailer, stayed overnight to keep the printers running. He described the emotional “mirror moment” when patients first see their new teeth, visibly relax and sometimes cry as stress and embarrassment lift.
Burge and Tallent both had that moment, smiling at their reflections with new dentures. Tallent said she felt a sense of relief and gratitude, adding that the clinic had made a way for her to get care she could not otherwise afford.