May 6, 2025
Ferris State Nursing students were moved by RAM’s impact on people in need, passionate about bringing free healthcare to local residents
When Ferris State nursing student Kailee Wright saw the desperate need for quality healthcare in Appalachia, she knew folks back home near Big Rapids were in similar straits.
Then she did something about it.
“Ferris State faculty leaders and nursing students who had volunteered at Remote Area Medical clinics in Tennessee approached Ferris State President Bill Pink and suggested, given the poverty and limited access to medical care in the Big Rapids region, that Ferris would be the perfect place to host Michigan’s first free RAM healthcare clinic,” said Wright, 24.
Pink was thrilled with the idea.
Eighteen months and tons of planning later, the free medical, dental and vision care clinic will take place May 31 and June 1 at Ferris State’s Ewigleben Sports Complex, 210 Sports Drive. The event is expected to draw more than 400 patients from across the region and the state.
The clinic is open to any adult or child on a first-come, first-served basis; no proof of ID or insurance are required. Doors open at 6 a.m. and people seeking care are encouraged to arrive early.
RAM is a Tennessee-based organization that bridges the gap in the American health system by providing free healthcare services to those in need. Using large-scale mobile clinics around the country, RAM partners with local organizations like Ferris State to deliver quality healthcare to underserved and uninsured individuals who don’t have access to or cannot afford medical, dental or vision care.
Since 1985, more than 977,000 people nationwide have received this free care.
Ferris State and RAM are able to bring a free care clinic to Big Rapids through the support of generous donations and volunteers.
Faculty and students from Ferris State’s College of Health Professions, Michigan College of Optometry, and College of Pharmacy, and several from other fields will work alongside professionals and volunteers from across the region to provide care.
Wright says she’ll be there with bells on.
The Howard City native graduated from Ferris State’s School of Nursing a year ago and now works as a medical-surgical nurse at Corewell Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids.
Wright said volunteering with fellow Ferris State nursing students at a 2023 RAM clinic in Sparta, Tenn., was life changing.
Becky Johnson Himes, an associate professor in Ferris State’s School of Nursing, and Nursing professor Stephanie Gustman have taken several student groups to RAM clinics.
“The whole trip was honestly very moving to me; I cried even before the clinic started just seeing everyone camping out in the parking lot and waiting for over 12 hours for medical care,” she said. “People came from hours away, waited in line for a long time, but were all very patient and grateful.”
Wright still recalls a patient in his 50s who’d never been to the doctor before. Along with unaddressed hypertension, he suffered from extensive tooth decay, cavities and broken teeth. Volunteer dentists treated him, relieving his pain.
It made a lasting impression on the young nurse.
“As someone who's always had access to healthcare, and my longest wait has been maybe an hour in a waiting room, I’d never really considered before what so many people have to endure,” Wright said.
Johnson Himes and Gustman took another group of Ferris State nursing students to Memphis last fall to volunteer at a RAM clinic. Rachel Foster of Hudsonville was one of them.
“Personally, I feel that I take a lot of things in my life for granted; being a part of RAM reminded me how lucky I am to have access to the resources I need,” said Foster, now 20.
Foster said she felt her efforts were really appreciated.
“The people who come to volunteer and the RAM staff who help guide volunteers create such a positive and healing culture to be in,” she said.
The need for medical care in Michigan is real, said Johnson Himes, who is leading the effort with Gustman to bring the RAM clinic to Big Rapids.
Mecosta County, where the clinic will be held, and neighboring Clare, Isabella, Lake, Montcalm, Newaygo and Osceola counties, are designated as areas with limited access to professional medical and dental healthcare.
For many, the clinic is the only way they’ll have access to this important care.
Free healthcare services offered will include physicals, lab work such as cholesterol, diabetic, chemistries, and blood lead testing. However, the range of services will depend on the local providers who can volunteer their time and skills to see patients.
Patients can receive dental care including cleanings, fillings, extractions and x-rays. Vision care includes eye exams, eyeglass prescriptions, and eyeglasses made on-site in a mobile vision lab.
Gustman said up to 250 volunteers will be needed for each of the two days. Volunteers should be at least 18 years old, though some ages 16 and up can assist if their parent is volunteering as well.
Helpers are needed from 5:45 a.m. until 6 p.m. each day, and volunteers can work partial shifts if needed.
People can register to volunteer at this link by May 17.