A temporary free clinic opened its doors at Rickards High School this weekend to help people in Tallahassee who might otherwise wait months or even years for medical care. The clinic runs on a first come first serve basis, and will open doors at 6:00 a.m. for patients. The parking lot will open no later than midnight for Sunday services.
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Free healthcare clinic opens to serve Tallahassee residents
The Florida State University Remote Area Medical (RAM) chapter spent the last year planning the event.
The national RAM team traveled to the area from Tennessee , where they arre based, to fill a gap in care the community says has been long ignored.
“The biggest thing Tallahassee needs right now is dental care,” Kaitlyn Thomas, community host group lead for FSU RAM, said.
The clinic provides medical, dental and vision services.
Patients can receive women’s health screenings like Pap smears and breast exams, dental cleanings, fillings and extractions, eye exams and same-day glasses. On Sunday, services will focus on providing glasses for patients who already have prescriptions.
For hundreds of people, the clinic offers care they otherwise could not afford.
“To see a dentist, it took me, like, three months, and then to learn that they did not accept my insurance, then I tried to call another dentist, and that was going to be another three months,” patient Nicole Jones said. “So I’m just grateful that FSU has put this together for us to be able to have something.”
Jones said the cost of basic procedures is out of reach for many.
“I talked to a couple of people, and it was $160 just to get one tooth extracted, and we can’t afford that,” Jones said. “We can’t even afford to pay rent today. Look at gas, $4 a gallon, you know.”
Organizers rely on local feedback to determine what services to provide.
“The people that are living here, experiencing the community here so we take their word what they need the most what does the community need done and that is how we fill that gap,” Reagan Monday, Remote Area Medical volunteer coordinator, said.
For the organizers, every patient seen is a mission fulfilled.
“The FSU chapter of Remote Area Medical’s mission is to further Ram’s mission statement of alleviating pain and preventing suffering,” Thomas said. “We want to make RAM clinics accessible and help support them. We want to promote RAM services to the community, as well as show our students that volunteering at these RAM clinics is an incredible life changing experience.”
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