Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps (RAM) is a Knoxville, Tennessee-based, non-profit, volunteer, airborne medical relief corps that provides free health care, dental care, eye care, veterinary services, and technical and educational assistance to people in remote areas of the United States, and around the world. RAM was founded in 1985 by Stan Brock, who worked as an assistant to Marlin Perkins on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. The group's work was originally confined to Third World countries, but later shifted towards the US.
According to RAM, the organization has provided $33,079,038 worth of free health care to 357,368 patients with the help of 36,675 volunteers since its inception. Approximately two-thirds of this total is in the USA.
According to Brock, local licensing requirements for doctors in many states prevent his group from bringing out-of-state doctors to areas where their help is needed. Tennessee is the only state that has an "Open Borders To Doctors" law on its books.
Special exemptions have enabled RAM to hold a few clinics outside the state of Tennessee. One of these — in Wise, Virginia — was the largest RAM clinic held to date. Held from July 25–27 in 2008, this 3-day clinic had 1,584 volunteers who provided 5,475 treatments to 2,670 patients. The total value of care provided at this single clinic equaled $1,725,418.
RAM is funded through donations and relies on volunteers from the community, as well as professionals including physicians, dentists, optometrists, nurses, pilots and veterinarians to provide care in poorer communities.
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