Here’s Your Health Care Waiting List

Health care reform notwithstanding, Knoxville-based Remote Area Medical (RAM) is still staging free medical clinics for the under-insured, working poor and unemployed. In Los Angeles this week — once again — RAM came up short on in-state dentist-volunteers in the most populous state in the country. They had to turn away hundreds:

By 11 a.m. Wednesday all appointments to a massive weeklong free health clinic were gone. Those left in line were turned away.

With more than 1,000 people waiting outside Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, organizers realized early that demand would exceed availability.

Instead of 1,200 wristbands to distribute as they originally said, volunteers were left with only 750. The lower number was the result of significant overflow on the clinic’s first day.

Despite staying open until 8 p.m., two hours later than scheduled, organizers said by day’s end they had to ask 630 people to come back later for additional services.

Stan Brock, who founded the nonprofit Remote Area Medical, which organized the clinic, said a shortage of volunteers, particularly dentists, caused the overflow. Although the clinic has 94 dental chairs, Brock said 20 were empty much of Tuesday.

Brock has been pushing for states to open their borders to medical volunteers. Many states allow that during natural disasters, but not for this slow-rolling disaster of a health care system. Only Tennessee’s Volunteer Health Care Act allows duly licensed volunteers to aid groups like his without the hurdle of additional individual licensing, paperwork or fees. RAM clinics in Tennessee draw volunteers from many states east of the Mississippi. It is what allowed nurse Brenda Kimmons to travel 180 miles from Inman, SC to Maryville, TN for RAM’s clinic in March. Want to come treat our citizens for free and unburden our state agencies?, says Tennessee. Y’all come.

Activists have asked the legislature to pass a similar act in North Carolina. It costs taxpayers nada. We’ve spoken to Gov. Perdue, some key legislators, and sent letters to the state medical societies asking for their support. The Tennessee bill has been sent to the joint House-Senate study committee and a version of it could come up in the fall session.

Oklahoma Democrat, state senator Andrew Rice tried to get a copy of Tennessee’s act passed last year. It passed both houses — in OKLAHOMA — then got gutted in committee and turned into a tort reform bill. But they got enough of something passed in another bill to allow RAM to come to Oklahoma City this July.

Want to see RAM come through the newly reopened I-40 gorge into North Carolina? Tell your state senators and representatives you support a North Carolina Volunteer Health Care Services Act. Until then, you can contribute to or volunteer for RAM here. It’s a short drive to Tennessee.