Volunteer Group Offers Free Medical Care

As national leaders continue to debate the topic of health care, members of the Knox College community are learning about a volunteer-driven program that provides free medical services to people who otherwise would not get them.

John and Carol Weis of St. Louis, Mo., presented a March 2 discussion on Remote Area Medical, also known as RAM. The Knox College Pre-Health Club sponsored the event.

The Knoxville, Tenn.,-based RAM sets up short-term expeditions in the United States and in other countries to offer treatment to people living in areas with little access to medical, vision or dental care. Health care professionals, who sometimes must parachute into tough-to-reach villages, volunteer their time and their expertise.

John Weis, an optician, and Carol Weis, who has more than two decades of experience in editing and book publishing, became involved with RAM nearly two years ago. They learned about the organization purely by accident, when Carol's channel-surfing led her to a "60 Minutes" segment spotlighting RAM's outreach efforts. Correspondent Scott Pelley interviewed RAM founder Stan Brock and followed volunteers as they worked at one of the organization's weekend clinics in Tennessee. By the time it was over, the volunteers had treated more than 900 patients, handed out about 500 pairs of glasses and pulled more than 1,000 bad teeth.

The Weises played that video as part of their presentation at Knox. "It's been two years since I've seen that. I can assure you, it still touches me," Carol Weis said.

Knox College senior Robert Cashen, president of the Pre-Health Club, happened to see the same "60 Minutes" segment when it was repeated last summer.

"I wrote the name down immediately because I knew this was a group I wanted to get the Pre-Health Club involved with, because I thought the type of work they were doing is just wonderful," said Cashen, a biology major from Vernon Hills who plans to attend medical school.

Cashen also recently organized a karaoke party so the Pre-Health Club could raise funds for RAM's work in earthquake-stricken Haiti. That event, held Feb. 19 in Post Lobby, generated more than $150 and helped heighten the Knox community's awareness of RAM, Cashen said.

John Weis, who has provided optical services at 18 RAM clinics so far, urged Knox students to consider volunteering at one of the organization's weekend clinics in Tennessee. "It's very gratifying to be able to do something for someone who (otherwise) would go without care," he said.

Carol Weis pointed out that even though she lacks a professional health background, she has assisted in other ways at RAM clinics -- making sure that prospective patients are standing in the proper line, for example. RAM can provide no-cost health care only because of its heavy reliance on volunteers, she said, adding: "It's people helping people."

Founded in 1837, Knox is a national liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, with students from 47 states and 48 countries. Knox's "Old Main" is a National Historic Landmark and the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.