For the first weekend of November, three faculty members and 14 third-year optometry students from Salus University’s Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) took a trip to Warsaw, Virginia, to provide vision screenings with an organization called Remote Area Medical (RAM). A major nonprofit provider for free mobile clinics, RAM’s more than 135,000 volunteers - licensed dental, vision, medical and veterinary professionals - have treated more than 785,000 people and delivered $135 million worth of free care.
Organized by Helene Kaiser, OD, associate professor at PCO, she and her husband rented two vans for the entire Salus group to conquer the 6.5-hour drive together. Throughout the weekend, the group saw more than 350 patients as they provided full eye exams and a free pair of glasses to those who needed it.