RAM Marches
On Sunday morning, the campus of Rockbridge County High School bore the quiet hum of purpose.
Inside and around the buildings, a humanitarian engine was in motion — one that had begun days before and would not fully slow until the last patient had been seen, the last chair packed up, the last volunteer’s name crossed off the shift sheet. The school had been transformed into a fully functioning healthcare clinic as Remote Area Medical (RAM) hosted a multi-day event providing free medical, dental and vision care to anyone in need.
From the outset, the organization of the event was apparent. Parking zones were marked with large signs. A truck from Rockbridge Area Relief Association offered food bank items for those in need. Volunteers in bright vests greeted drivers with practiced ease, guiding patients step-by-step through what could otherwise feel like a daunting process: registration, triage, then a choice between dental, vision, or medical services — all entirely free of charge.
Once inside, RAM’s attention to logistics and compassion became even more apparent. Entire wings of the high school had been transformed into makeshift clinics. The gymnasium, often filled with the sounds of bouncing basketballs and school assemblies, had been remade into a bustling dental suite, partitioned with temporary walls into private rooms where patients could receive cleanings, fillings, and extractions. The vision department had a hallway of its own, while the medical wing occupied various classrooms and halls, each repurposed into spaces for care — some offering routine checkups, others more specialized services like mammography, phlebotomy, and women’s health consultations.
Over the course of the weekend, the clinic served 230 patients, according to RAM’s media relations coordinator. While RAM has hosted larger events in other parts of the country, the organization emphasized that a clinic is worthwhile no matter how many are helped. “We count any clinic where we are able to help a single person as a success,” the spokeswoman stated. “We were delighted to be able to offer these services to the Lexington community, and to help prevent pain and alleviate suffering in any way we are able.”
RAM also expressed appreciation for its partnership with Southern Virginia University, which served as the event’s primary sponsor. A debrief between the groups is expected in the coming weeks to determine whether another clinic might be held in the area in the future. “We are here to serve all that need care,” the spokeswoman added. “We will be here to bridge the gap and help serve anyone who needs our services.”
Dr. Susan Scharpf, working in the medical hallway between patient visits, described RAM as “an incredible organization.” She added, “The level of planning, the logistics is impressive.” Scharpf, a five-time RAM volunteer, praised the commitment of RAM’s core leadership team and the regional volunteers who receive specialized training to coordinate each event on the ground.
Compared to previous RAM events held in the area, at Southern Virginia in 2018 and 2014, the weekend’s clinic offered an expanded roster of services. According to Scharpf, what RAM can provide at any given location depends on two factors: funding and volunteer turnout. “That’s what determines what we can offer. This time around, there was a good amount of both,” she said. For instance, a phlebotomist was available to volunteer, without whom certain blood work would be impossible to provide.
While SVU was the primary sponsor of the Rockbridge event, they were joined by medical students, physician assistants, nurses-in-training, and community members from schools like James Madison University, University of Virginia, and others. Some came in scrubs, others in jeans and T-shirts — but all came ready to serve.
Scharpf noted that patients traveled from as far as Farmville and Lynchburg to attend, a testament to both the scarcity of affordable care and the magnetism of RAM’s reputation. “People will go where the care is,” she said.
She also reflected on the broader implications of the event. “It’s great to see how people come together,” she said. “But it also shows how broken our system is.”
Whatever the state of the system, RAM marches on. Founded in Tennessee by the late Stan Brock, RAM continues to organize free health events across the country, staffed by a dedicated team and powered by trained volunteers. In Virginia alone, future events are planned for Emporia in June, Newport News in August, Luray in September, and Grundy and Harrisonburg in October. For those looking to go deeper, the organization even offers “volunternships” at its Rockford, Tennessee, headquarters — training the next generation of logistics leaders in the art of compassionate care delivery.
As the event came to a close, a sense of confident compassion remained in the busy hallways and gathering areas — speaking louder than any quote or figure. For one weekend, in one school, a health care system worked for the people.
