If you were watching "60 Minutes" on CBS two weeks ago, you saw a fascinating story. If you missed it, here it is. RAM, Remote Area Medical is a non-profit, volunteer relief corps that provides free health care, dental care, eye care, veterinary services and educational assistance to people in remote areas of the United States and the world.

Volunteer doctors, nurses, pilots, veterinarians and support workers take part at their own expense in hard-to-reach regions of the country. Most of the events occur over a weekend. Medical supplies, medicines, facilities and vehicles are donated by individuals. There are no corporate sponsors. From l985, when RAM was founded to June, 2008, 357,368 patients have been treated by 36,675 volunteers. Total eyeglasses prescribed and given were 70,704. Total teeth extracted after dental examinations were 109,555. Total value of free health care by RAM volunteers is estimated at $33,079,038.

How did RAM begin? The best answer comes in a letter from the founder, Stan Brock.

"A half century or more ago, I was living in a part of the upper Amazon basin where health care was a 26 day march away on foot. I survived malaria, dengue fever, numerous wild animal attacks....without the help of a doctor. Others were not so lucky and I buried a number of them. It occurred to me that designing an all-volunteer health and veterinary care program for such desolate places might make life easier for a whole lot of people. It took a few years to work out the concept, but in l985, RAM was born."

Stan Brock was never a wealthy man. At 71, he lives in an abandoned school, which he rents for $1 a month, and showers with a hose outside. He credits small donors as the primary source of income. The first "60 Minutes" broadcast, six months ago, sparked over $2 million dollars of donations. Fascinating background on RAM is available on their web site: http://www.ramusa.org.

Originally RAM went to third world countries to provide services. Now, they work almost exclusively in the United States. Their Rural America program in 2008 brought opthalmologists, optometrists, dentists and medical doctors to fourteen sites in Tennessee , Kentucky and Virgina on weekends from January 5-6 through November 1-2. People in the area are alerted to the dates when RAM will be coming through radio and newspapers. The sites include school grounds, fairgrounds and community centers. In each place, the people start to arrive the night before in their cars, pick up trucks or on foot. During the night, trucks and trailers arrive with equipment and the RAM volunteers assemble. A mobile optical lab is in place. Twelve dental stations with chairs, drill/suction setup and hand tools are in place. Rows of chairs, machines and equipment for eye examinations are ready. Private examination cubicles are raised. A medical center emerges similar to the traveling M.A.S.H. units created during the Korean War.

When the gates open early on Saturday morning, the people enter on a first come-first served basis, taking numbers. They had waited through the night, sleeping in their cars for the opportunity. There are no citizens with health care insurance here. They are part of the over 40 million uninsured in the country. And the RAM officials report that there are very few substance abusers among their patients. Most have severe dental or vision problems. They report that "Poor dental health is frequently seen in the hills of southern Appalacchia. Patients often arrive with serious dental problems, affecting their overall health. In a single visit, many of these can be improved." The RAM dentists and technicians perform emergency extractions, restorations, cleanings and fluoride treatments.

The vision specialists offer eye exams and eyeglasses that are made in the mobile unit. They also perform thorough exams to determine if there are eye conditions or diseases that need further attention. If a serious or threatening condition is found, the patient is made aware of it and referred to a local doctor. RAM explains, "For some a pair of glasses may allow them to drive more safely, get a job or better execute their present job. For others, reading glasses will allow them to read more comfortably or thread a needle for the first time in years."

In 2007, RAM spent long periods of time in South America and Africa as well as days in New Orleans, Michigan and Tennessee sites. Teams work year-round in Guyana, including Women's Health/OBGYN/ Surgery. In Guatemala, Mexico and Peru, veterinary Spay& Neuter clinics and Veterinary Work/Teaching programs were provided. In certain areas, airplanes are needed to reach the sites. RAM has a fleet of donated airplanes, one of the best known is a Douglas DC-3 of WWII vintage years. "She is one of a fleet of 1200 DC-3's that are still flying and is used as a cargo carrier."

The plane was donated to RAM by Michael Hogan of Hogan Air

in Middletown, Ohio. During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the DC-3 carried about 6,000 lbs. of medical supplies to Baton Rouge and Sulphur, Louisiana. RAM also has planes as small as the Cessna 150 and uses them to carry staff and equipment into isolated areas difficult to reach by road. The Cessna 206 can carry 1,000 lb. of cargo or up to six people. It was used extensively in Louisiana and Mississippi after the 2005 hurricane, carrying doctors, nurses, medicines and vaccines.

Here's the basic information, if you want to help this remarkable program. AM headquarters are at 1834 Beech St., Knoxville, TN 3790. Telephone: 1-865-579-1530. Checks or money orders payable to the Remote Area Medical Foundation are welcome. RAM states that "Over 90 percent of your contributions go to RAM programs and services to help people in need." Stan Brock writes a tribute to the RAM volunteers in his letter, "Over 36,000 of you have temporarily left your comfortable homes, jobs and families behind and signed up ...and about 350,000 patients are very glad you did." He also extends an invitation, "So, if you are a physician, dentist, ophthalmologist, optometrist, veterinarian or any one of those support people these specialists cannot function properly without, please realize how important you are to the

Joyce S. Anderson is the author of "Courage in High Heels," "Flaw in the Tapestry," "If Winter Comes" and "The Mermaids Singing." She can be reached at JSAWrite@aol.com.