PARIS, Ill. (WAND) — Hundreds of people traveled to one Edgar County community for help with something many take for granted — health care.
Throughout the weekend, Remote Area Medical transformed Paris High School into a free clinic offering medical, dental and vision services.
“We’re here delivering free health care. No insurance, no ID required,” Clinic Coordinator Brad Sands said.
Patients could receive everything from prescription glasses to dental extractions. Sands said events like these help fill gaps in the health care system.
“The most incredible part of this job is being able to hand someone glasses, and maybe they haven’t seen their child clearly for a year or two — and it’s tears. Or maybe it’s somebody walking out from dental with gauze in their mouth, but there’s a smile from ear to ear because they just had something done, they’ve been wanting for years and couldn’t afford or couldn’t access,” Sands said.
The clinic started at 6 a.m. Saturday. Many people traveled for hours and slept in their cars to receive care.
“We had a lady come in Thursday night from Columbia, Missouri. We’ve had people from Indiana, people from Michigan — all over the place. It’s needed, because if it wasn’t needed, people would not drive five, six or seven hours for health care,” Longview Capital representative Sean Mixson said.
Organizers said without events like these, many people could face long-term health consequences because they are not getting routine medical care.
“If you can’t access dental care, the hygiene of your mouth affects the overall health of your body. A lot of it stems from basic hygiene and basic medical care. If you forego that, the long-term repercussions can be serious,” Mixson said.
A schedule of Remote Area Medical popup clinics can be found on the organization’s website.
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