BRADENTON, Florida -- In need of a trip to the doctor or dentist but can't afford it? Now is your chance.
- RAM clinic offering free services
- 800 volunteer medical professionals seeing patients
- Services include dental cleanings, fillings and medical checkups
A Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic is operating out of Manatee Technical College in Bradenton this weekend.
Nearly 800 volunteer doctors, dentists, and optometrists will be seeing patients both Saturday and Sunday completely free of charge.
"We drove down from Gainesville just yesterday, to come here for two days, then spend 20 hours in the clinic seeing patients constantly," volunteer Wayne Dell says.
Many of the volunteers also hold full-time jobs and are spending their weekend helping the uninsured and underserved.
People starting lining up before midnight Friday to make sure they could secure a spot in line for the services. RAM volunteers began handing out numbers at 3 a.m. so patients could reserve a spot in line, and the clinic doors opened at 6 a.m.
The plan to do the same thing Sunday morning.
Once inside, patients can get cleanings, fillings, and tooth extractions in the dental area. Checkups and screenings are conducted in the medical area, as well as eye exams and new glasses.
"If I hadn't heard about this, I don't know if I would have been able to get new glasses or not," Bradenton resident Courtney Stevens says.
All services offered are free and no ID is required.
Volunteer medical professionals hope to serve at least 1,000 people this weekend. The services are on a first-come first-serve basis.
The clinic is located at the college's main campus on SR-70 in Bradenton.