JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — Volunteers are needed on Sept. 14 and 15 for the Remote Area Medical pop-up clinic coming to the SUNY Jamestown Community College campus located at 525 Falconer St.
RAM, backed mainly by volunteer assistance, provides free medical, dental, and vision care including free eyeglasses, for people in need. The Jamestown clinic seeks help from volunteer physicians, optometrists, ophthalmologists, and other vision specialists; dentists, oral surgeons, hygienists, and dental providers; nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician’s assistants.
General support volunteers are also needed to help with data entry, register, and direct patients, serve meals, and other tasks.
Clinic co-chairs are Christine Schuyler, program director for Healthcare Initiatives at SUNY JCC, and Paula Snyder, executive director of JCC’s Cattaraugus County Campus.
“A challenge we have when we invite RAM to our communities is people do not believe it is totally free,” Snyder said. “Patients are served no matter who they are or where they come from. There is absolutely no cost for any of the care or services they receive, including medical, dental, and eye care. All they need to do is come to the clinic. Families and children are welcome.”
Faculty and students from the Nursing and Occupational Therapy Assistant programs at JCC, St. Bonaventure University’s School of Health Professions, and the University at Buffalo’s School of Dental Medicine will volunteer with local dentists, optometrists, and medical staff during the two-day clinic. Local primary care doctors, nurse practitioners, and physician’s assistants will also provide care.
JCC, under the direction of Snyder, co-sponsored RAM clinics in the Olean area in 2021 and 2023 with BonaResponds and director Jim Mahar, a St. Bonaventure University professor. The last free RAM clinic in Olean served 367 patients, including 51 children.
Thanks to the help of hundreds of professional and general volunteers, more than 600 uninsured and underserved individuals received medical, dental, and optical care at the clinics held in 2021 and 2023.
“We are very grateful for the support of the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation and so many other generous organizations and individuals who have donated to this cause and are assisting with fundraising efforts,” Schuyler said. “We are also appreciative of the individuals who have already stepped up to volunteer. The more volunteers we have, the more care we can deliver to people in our community who need these important services.”
Nearly a million patients have received care through RAM clinics since they began in 1985. All volunteers are required to register at ramusa.org/volunteer before the start of the clinic. Contact Schuyler at 716.338.1333 or Snyder at 716.376.7580 for more information.