Remote Area Medical Provides Free Clinics Amid State Licensing Barriers for Volunteer Providers

Area Medical (RAM) is a volunteer-run nonprofit that provides free medical, dental, and vision care at pop-up clinics across the United States. The organization treats patients regardless of insurance status, with about half of recipients lacking coverage and the remainder facing unaffordable co-pays and deductibles.

RAM hosts approximately 90 clinics annually, serving thousands in underserved communities. At a recent clinic in Knoxville, Tennessee, RAM treated 1,200 patients over the course of the event. Patients arrived before dawn and waited in parking lots for services including dental work, eye exams, and basic medical care.

The clinics address isolation from affordable health care, a problem RAM identified after its founder shifted focus from international aid to domestic needs. RAM was founded in the 1980s by Stan Brock, who initially delivered care to remote regions of South America.

Brock recognized similar access barriers in the U.S. and redirected efforts accordingly. The organization operates on a principle of treating anyone who arrives without questions.

at RAM clinics often travel long distances and endure significant waits for treatment. Dave Burge, a Tennessee man, received new dentures after his teeth were knocked out in a head-on crash caused by a drunk driver and later damaged in a construction accident involving rebar. The procedure restored his appearance and confidence.

“That gave me my life back.”

Sandra Tallent drove 200 miles and slept in her car for two nights to attend a clinic where she was fitted for dentures. Such stories illustrate the clinics' role in providing essential care to those otherwise unable to afford it.

licensing requirements prevent many volunteer doctors and dentists from crossing state lines to provide short-term charitable care, even if they hold licenses elsewhere. This patchwork of laws creates administrative burdens and limits the number of providers at clinics in restrictive states.

In Tennessee, the Volunteer Health Care Services Act of 1995 allows out-of-state clinicians to volunteer, enabling RAM to treat nearly three times as many patients as in states with stricter rules. Volunteers at the recent Knoxville clinic included professionals from New Jersey, New York, Louisiana, and Washington.

RAM CEO Chris Hall stated that licensing restrictions hinder recruitment despite providers' willingness to help. Dentist Glen Goldstein, who volunteered from New Jersey, noted the inconsistency in regulations across states.

“What I do in New Jersey is the same thing I do in Tennessee or California.”

Hall explained that providers train across state lines but face barriers when volunteering. He anticipates that easing these rules would increase provider participation and expand treatment access. Advocates, including Goldstein, push for federal legislation modeled on international groups like Doctors Without Borders, which would permit volunteering nationwide without local licensing for charitable work.

Such a change could reduce organizational costs and time spent on approvals.

News first reported on RAM in 2008 via a 60 Minutes segment, prompting $4 million in donations and thousands of volunteer sign-ups. At that time, RAM operated about a dozen clinics yearly; the number has since grown to 90. Stan Brock once expressed hope that RAM would eventually eliminate the need for its services.

Nearly two decades later, demand persists and appears to be increasing, as evidenced by long lines and patient hardships at current events.