Mon-Yough River Valley Rotary seeks volunteers, sponsors for free health clinic

The Mon-Yough River Valley Rotary Club is responsible for raising $30,000 to support the effort.

For the MVI

Organizers of a free, twoday medical, dental and vision clinic slated for April 2027 in the Mon Valley are seeking volunteers and sponsors.

The Mon-Yough River Valley Rotary Club will host the event presented by the Tennessee-based nonprofit Remote Area Medical (RAM) at Belle Vernon Area High School on April 17-18, 2027.

“RAM has gained national accolades for delivering free health care to uninsured and under-insured people lacking access to basic medical, dental and optometric care,” said Rotary club President Donna Vesely. “The CBS news show, ‘60 Minutes’ recently did a segment about the remarkable work this group has done across the nation.”

Vesely said those attending the clinics can receive a wide range of medical services, dental cleanings, fillings, and extractions and vision examinations. They also will be able to obtain eyeglasses on the spot, she added.

“No one attending the clinic will be asked for ID or proof of insurance,” said Bob Pope, a retired pharmacist and Rotarian heading up volunteer recruitment for the clinic with his wife Marcia, a retired nurse. “It will be completely anonymous.”

Pope said the “60 Minutes” segment told the story of people lining up days in advance to obtain services at a RAM clinic in Knoxville, Tenn.

“It’s a scene repeated over and over at these clinics where crowds filled the parking lots seeking care that so many of us take for granted,” Pope said. “As someone who spent his entire adult life in health care, I have seen the sometimes- tragic consequences for people who know they have health issues but just don’t have the means to address them.”

Although the bulk of the cost of holding the clinic – roughly $500,000 — is met by RAM through its corporate and private donors, the Mon-Yough River Valley Rotary Club is responsible for raising $30,000 to support the effort.

RAM supplies all medical supplies and equipment, but the club is responsible for providing volunteers and support services, such as food and hotel rooms for RAM core volunteers.

The club is offering various incentives for larger tax-deductible sponsorships ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 and over, but smaller donations also are encouraged, Vesely said.

“We are building this base of community sponsorships dollar by dollar,” she added. “Every person can play a role in bringing this clinic to the Mon Valley either through volunteering, making a donation or offering to provide food or housing for those working at the clinic.”

The club is actively recruiting health professionals and other non-medical volunteers to provide care and handle logistics at the clinic site.

“A number of people dentists, physicians, physician assistants, dental hygienists and optometrists – already have enthusiastically stepped forward to offer their services free of charge,” Vesely said. “But we need more individuals like this to give of themselves to fill such a tremendous void in our community.”

Belle Vernon Area School District officials have pledged considerable support for the event, she said.

Marcia Pope said that in addition to health care workers, the club will need others to handle tasks such as registering patients for care, traffic control inside and outside the clinic and serving food to volunteers.

A few local organizations and businesses have offered to provide meals for the 175-200 volunteers that will work at the event but more donations are needed, she said.

“We need more help with the task of feeding these generous folks, some of whom will be onsite three full days, including one day for set-up,” she added.

The club is asking local hotels to assist with housing RAM staff and volunteers who will come from across the nation.

Vesely said the local clinic became a reality after her Rotary club met the stringent requirements of RAM, whose staff and volunteers have traversed the country since 1985 setting up and managing these free clinics.

More information is available on the RAM website at www.ramusa.org. Anyone interested in volunteering can go to this website and follow the directions “To Volunteer” for the Belle Vernon clinic.

“We have been hard at work for months laying the foundation for this clinic, but we need the community’s help to bring it to fruition in April,” Vesely said. “We ask everyone to step up in any way they can to assist with what will be a life-altering weekend for everyone.”

For additional information, contact: myrvrotary@gmail.com or call Donna Vesely at: 412-496-0607.