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RAM Clinic Coming to Erie

ECAT blue sky

Erie's inaugural Remote Access Medical (RAM) Clinic arrives in only 5 weeks!

On September 7th and 8th, the RAM Clinic will offer medical, dental, and vision services at no-cost to community members.

Beyond screening exams, the RAM Clinic distinguishes itself through full-scope care not offered at other clinics. This includes prescription glasses crafted on-site in a mobile vision laboratory and dental fillings and extractions to address common dental concerns.

In this way, the RAM Clinic is an unparalleled health delivery model, fine-tuned to mitigate barriers. Typical roadblocks like access, transportation, cost, insurance coverage, and appointment flexibility shrink when RAM rolls into town.

Erie’s RAM Clinic will be open to the public starting at 6:00 AM on September 7th and 8th at the ECAT Wayne building, 650 East Avenue. Patients may opt to arrive early to secure the services they want, as they are provided on a first come, first served basis. To facilitate this, ECAT’s parking lot will open at midnight on September 6th.

Hundreds of individuals can be served during the two-day clinic. The breadth of the operation requires a range of volunteers. More than 200 individuals from diverse backgrounds—physicians and dentists, parking attendants and data coordinators, peacekeepers and community health workers—have already signed up to help. Our goal is to reach 300 volunteers to ensure the RAM Clinic runs with smooth precision.

Interested in serving the cause? Join us! Complete the volunteer application on RAM’s website to get started.

The Power of Giving Back

August is often considered the harbinger of summer’s end, reminding us that the weekends full of sun and fun are dwindling to precious few, with more falling behind us than stretching out ahead. This sobering fact has me wondering who (of sound mind) would spend one of their last remaining summer weekends volunteering inside a building?

The answer is a lot of people!

Why?

Most of us understand that volunteering is a meaningful undertaking, a privilege, a gift, even a passion. But for some, it is more. It’s a ceaseless call to action, omnipresent and undeniable, through every turn of life.

One such individual is Dr. Susan Calderbank, DMD, Regional Director of Outreach and Director of Dental Care for Cancer Patients, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM). Throughout her career, she has developed treatment protocols to help cancer patients, provided care for underserved incarcerated individuals, and assisted the less fortunate. She remains active in her church, travels nationally and internationally to lecture, and sits on a variety of local non-profit boards. This we know: Dr. Calderbank takes service to heart.

It is perhaps unsurprising, then, that she leapt on board for the RAM Clinic. She’s currently galvanizing dozens of dental students and faculty from LECOM to join us in September, ensuring the Wayne neighborhood has unprecedented access to dental care.

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I don't think you can thrive in a community unless you give back.
— Dr. Susan Calderbank

We couldn't agree more!

Kerrie Grande is of a similar composition, possessing an unyielding call to serve. You may recognize Kerrie from her time as the Community School Director at Iroquois Elementary School or as the Executive Director of ServErie, a prominent volunteer organization in the community. But, less well known is that Kerrie was among the first to sign up to help with the RAM Clinic.

I had the chance to needle Kerrie for her “why” and was surprised by the sagacity in her response.

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The reason we believe in partnering for the RAM Clinic is the long-range, positive effects we can contribute to - in people's lives and the community.
— Kerrie Grande

She went on to explain that, "ServErie works to provide volunteers for community initiatives that will create a reciprocal positive effect for all involved. ServErie volunteers feel a personal benefit from their volunteerism, and the community at large benefits from their service."

The duality of giving back is among our favorite truths. The giver’s immense fulfilment in the act of giving is well-known to Kerrie, who not only embraces it, but encourages others to experience it. In doing so, she helps us magnify the benefits of the RAM Clinic for individuals and the community alike.

With an inviting smile and magnetic energy, it’s volunteers like Kerrie—and driven, compassionate medical professionals like Dr. Calderbank—who are guiding Erie’s RAM Clinic toward unmatched excellence.

Are you called to serve? Sign up!

Wait, What About Continuity of Care?

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Astute readers may be asking: how will we address continuity of care?

Continuity of Care: the process by which a patient and their health care provider continue a caring relationship that fosters ongoing health management over time.

Let’s say, for example, that the RAM Clinic identifies a health concern that should be escalated to a specialist for further assessment. For patients experiencing access barriers like lack of reliable transportation, erratic work schedules, or limited financial resources, it is not uncommon for there to be a breakdown in continuity of care—the patient is unsuccessful in scheduling or attending the appointment.

So, what are we doing to mitigate this risk?

Great question! Here’s our plan.

First, we must operate within the existing constraints of the RAM Clinic, which does not collect contact information for those seeking care. We cannot, therefore, simply call or visit those who were recommended to follow up.

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The RAM Clinic is a free, 2-day event, but we know that health care needs don't stop when the event ends.
— Sarah Prylinski, RN

Sarah Prylinski, RN, Clinical Program Manager, BUILD CDC, explained further, "We are working to form robust community partnerships to take care of these patients long-term."

In collaboration with UPMC Hamot, Wayne Primary Care, Community Health Net, Central Outreach, Adagio, and others, Sarah is working to create resource guides for follow-up.

These resource guides will include a list of physician offices for the needed follow-up specialty, as well as easy-to-understand instructions for scheduling a telemedicine visit. A list of locations in Erie where patients can access free, reliable WiFi will also be included.

To help patients make sense of this guide, BUILD CDC’s community health workers will be on-site to assist. They will engage with patients to understand and mitigate their access barriers, offering education and their contact information should any questions or challenges arise.

With these resource guides and individualized assistance from community health workers, patients will have a helpful toolkit for achieving continuity of care.

For the History Buffs

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Just like any Marvel superhero, the RAM Clinic has an origin story full of intrigue and excitement. Born from the mind of another famous Stan--not Lee, but one no less impactful in the world--RAM has revolutionized clinic medicine.

Stan Brock founded RAM in 1985 to bring medical care closer to those who needed it. He was inspired by his own experience, a harrowing 26-day journey to reach the closest doctor after sustaining an injury in what was then British Guiana.

RAM’s initial mission was to bring health care to remote areas of the developing world. But, by 1992, Brock shifted RAM’s focus to the U.S., concerned that too many U.S. citizens lived close to a physician yet couldn’t afford to see one.

What began as a single dental chair in the back of his pick-up truck has since evolved into the large-scale clinic we know today. RAM has convened in cities across the U.S., served over 940,000 individuals, and provided more than $200 million of free medical care to date.

While Stan Brock is well-known as the co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom and a brief acting career, RAM was his passion. He took up residence at its headquarters and passed away there at age 82.

We look forward to carrying on Stan Brock’s passion in Erie next month!

Learn more about the history of the RAM Clinic. Or volunteer and join us September 7th and 8th!

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