- ATD Fourth World

“I need good-looking glasses because they have to help me get a new job.” John, very dignified in his wheelchair, hid his face behind a Harley Davidson cap. He explained to me that he never liked his glasses and he was very happy to have new ones, especially because his last job had ended a few months ago and he was looking for a new one. When we took his hat off, I saw that he had on a pair of glasses with a very thick, turquoise frame. He looked at all the glasses on the table with hundreds of frames by Armani, Dior, and other famous brands. He found one pair with a thin gold frame that he liked a lot.

John had waited in line since four in the morning with hundreds of other people just to have his appointment at eleven! Now he chose his free glasses, which were ready for him in only an hour’s time. But his teeth were hurting him too, so he decided that he’d check in again to have a dentist look at them. I pushed him in his wheelchair over rocks in the parking lot to the check-in tent so he could have a dentist’s appointment.

Before he could have his teeth looked at, John had to wait a few more hours under the hot sun with hundreds of other people under the large tents at RAM, the “Remote Area Medical” fair in Wise, Virginia. From Friday-Sunday, July 22-25, a small army of doctors and nurses offered their services to 2,500 patients free of charge. John and the other patients, old and young, came to have treatments done that were impossible for them to get the rest of the year because of a lack of health insurance, money, and sometimes even doctors near where they live.

Congress passed a healthcare reform in March of this year that will force every American to have health insurance and give a tax cut to those who can’t afford one. While waiting for the reform to progressively take effect from now till 2014, millions of Americans are still without the healthcare they need. Again this year, patients at RAM came from all over Virginia and from fifteen other states by bus, car, and sometimes even on foot. One mother and her child walked ten miles and slept outside to be able to be seen. The patients (in every sense of the word), line up in front of the medical, vision, and mammogram tents, and most of all, the dental one.

Long-term ATD Fourth World volunteers from this region, where the team has been present for fifteen years, and volunteers from other states, have helped out at RAM for the last four years: cleaning the fairground, bringing patients from one tent to another, and passing out water and snacks to help patients and others beat the heat. In 2008, they did a series of interviews at RAM that were published in a booklet called “Here and Hurting.” It was sent to those interviewed, to health professionals, and to local politicians. Last year, the interviews centered around the healthcare reform and a CD was produced with them which was sent to each Representative and Senator from the patients’ districts and states. 
This year ATD Fourth World displayed François Phliponeau’s photo exhibit to introduce families who have difficult lives here in the United States to others who live in similar situations around the world.

The long-term volunteers were impressed by the atmosphere of peace that reigned despite the long waits and crowded conditions. Those who came to help out, both medical professionals and others, showed a lot of respect and didn’t judge the patients, many of whom live in poverty and sometimes have quite serious medical conditions.

During the weekend lots of patients showed gratitude toward the doctors, nurses, and volunteers. Senator Mark Warner, from Virginia, visited RAM on Saturday to speak with patients and better understand their situation. He commented, “Anyone who thinks that the status quo in the health system in the United States is acceptable should come to RAM.”

At the end of the day, John found glasses that he liked. I hope that will help him to find a job. RAM and its volunteers offer a necessary and very important service, but there are still many many Johns who weren’t treated because they didn’t have a means of transportation or the money to be able to come. As a number of people commented, RAM warms your heart and breaks it at the same time.

Ben Fehsenfeld