RAM founder shares thoughts on health care reform

RAM founder shares thoughts on health care reform

By WHITNEY HOLMES
6 News Anchor/Reporter

MAYNARDVILLE (WATE) -- As the health care debate rages on, hundreds of people from all over the country descended on Union County this weekend for free medical services at a Remote Area Medical event.

About a thousand medical, dental and eye procedures were performed at Union County High School just Saturday.

After never being able to afford eye insurance, Lisa Gilbert is finally getting some much-needed eye glasses.

“I have been buying those dollar store types to read the bible, a book, or papers that children bring home and a lot of times my children will have to read to me,” shared Union County resident, Gilbert.

She's one of 440 people today that needed eye or dental care.

In fact almost everyone that came to the Remote Area Medical event Saturday needed those services.

RAM’s founder Stan Brock says this need is something Congress should not overlook in the health care debate.

“They cannot get those things attended to by going to the emergency room. Nobody at the emergency room pulls teeth or fills teeth or makes eyeglasses,” explained Brock. “So any health care reform in this country must address those two issues.”

Remote Area Medical has more events in Tennessee than in any other state in the nation. That is because Tennessee is the only state that allows doctors from other states to practice here.

That is another issue the founder says the federal government needs to examine.

“For some extraordinary reason here in the United State a doctor, a dentist, even a veterinarian who is duly licensed and trained in one state, taking basically the same examinations and qualifications in another state, are not allowed to cross state lines to provide free care. I think this is really a tragedy,” said Brock.

Brock says his organization doesn't get involved in politics.

Universal health care or not, he hopes one day Remote Area Medical is put out of work and people like Lisa Gilbert have access to the services they need.

“The most exciting thing is to be able read because I really love to read,” said Gilbert.

Brock also says many of the needs today could be prevented by people making better choices.

He says obesity is a serious and pervasive problem in America and he'd like to see doctors write prescriptions such as "run a half a mile, increase a hundred yards a day, and come back and see me.”

The next are RAM event will be in Knoxville at Jacobs Building in Chilhowee Park on January 31st and February 1st.