Locals help at LA clinic
Deborah Wright-DeMaderios, RAM founder Stan Brock and Don DeMaderios pause a moment at a record-breaking free clinic.
The medical, dental and vision clinic ended May 3 after providing eye exams for 3,331 people, most of whom received prescription glasses. In one day alone, volunteers examined 572 eye patients.
“The Remote Area Medical event in Los Angeles broke all RAM records for eye exams…The total patient count was 6,587, so over half of the patient population came for vision care and received it from a host of dedicated volunteer providers,” said Stan Brock, the organization’s founder.
Wright-DeMaderios organized a volunteer team of 420 vision physicians and optical techs, and 110 additional volunteers.
“Many of the patients we examined were working class people who were under insured and have not had an eye exam in several years and could not afford a new pair of glasses,” she said.
“The appreciation expressed by the patients makes seven 14-hour days of volunteering worth it all. We identified a tumor in one man’s eye and referred him for further free care. A woman shared how we discovered a treatable disease that otherwise would have left her 7 year-old granddaughter blind by age 16.
“This was a great experience worth repeating” said Don DeMaderios.
“I forgot what fun it is helping patients choose and fit eyewear. I was very impressed by the quality of the eyeglass frames and the finished product. I met some wonderful people and I was overwhelmed by the thankful and appreciative patients I came in contact with,” said Hermosan Laurie Baker, who volunteered in the dispensing department.
For more information about Remote Area Medical see ramusa.org. ER