JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — A pop-up Remote Area Medical clinic (RAM) delivering free medical, dental, and vision care is coming to the SUNY Jamestown Community College Jamestown Campus on Sept. 14 and 15.
The clinic is open to all on a first-come, first-serve basis. No proof of insurance or identification is needed to receive care. RAM clinics, made possible through volunteer assistance and community donations, provide free medical, dental, and vision care including free eyeglasses, for people in need.
The parking lot off of Curtis Street in Jamestown, near the JCC Physical Education Complex, will open to patients by 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 13 and remain open throughout the clinic. The clinic is scheduled to run from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 14 and 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sept. 15 inside the Physical Education Complex.
Patients should be prepared with their own food, water, medicines, and clothing when arriving early. Bathrooms will be provided.
Clinic co-chairs are Christine Schuyler, program director for Healthcare Initiatives at JCC, and Paula Snyder, executive director of JCC’s Cattaraugus County Campus.
“The RAM Clinic provides an amazing opportunity for folks with no or limited access to healthcare services to receive free medical, dental and vision care,” Schuyler said. “The generosity and support of individuals, non-profit organizations, and businesses in this area have been overwhelming and are what is making this clinic possible.”
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 RAM free clinic in Olean served 367 patients, 51 of them children.
“Dr. Jim Mahar was the first person to bring RAM to our community when it was held in 2017 at St. Bonaventure, and he invited JCC to host after that,” Snyder said. “Jim has been a great friend to JCC and our students. It is a true partnership between our colleges with the RAM event, and that collaboration continues to grow.”
Faculty and students from the Nursing and Occupational Therapy Assistant programs at JCC, St. Bonaventure University’s BonaResponds, the University at Buffalo’s School of Dental Medicine, Canisius University, and VOSH International will volunteer along with local dentists, optometrists, medical professionals, and general volunteers during the two-day clinic.
General support volunteers are still needed to help with data entry, register and direct patients, serve meals, and other tasks. All volunteers must register at ramusa.org/volunteer.
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 clinics co-hosted by JCC in 2021 and 2023. Nearly a million patients have received care through RAM clinics since they began in 1985.
“It is heartwarming to witness these terrific RAM services in action. We have seen that they can be life changing for people,” Snyder said. “With the help of talented and tireless volunteers, we hope to provide medical, dental, and vision care to as many as we can. There is no cost at all. Just come for care.”
Contact Schuyler at 716.338.1333 or Snyder at 716.376.7580 for more information.