The President and Founder of Remote Area Medical arrived in Smithville Saturday morning to tour the clinic set up at DeKalb County High School and to speak with the volunteers.
Stan Brock established RAM, a non-profit clinic, in 1985 to provide medical care through mobile events in underserved, isolated, or impoverished communities across the United States and throughout the world. Most clinics provide general medical, dental, vision, preventive care, and education.
The clinic is in DeKalb County Saturday and Sunday, March 28 & 29 to treat patients who cannot afford to pay for the services. Several hundred patients took advantage of the clinic on Saturday. Operating on a “first-come, first-served basis”, the clinic will open for registration at 6:00 a.m. Sunday. Patients may show up as early as 3:00 a.m. to obtain a ticket. Be prepared for a long wait.
Brock spoke with WJLE while at DCHS Saturday morning. (PLAY VIDEO TO VIEW THE INTERVIEW)
“My vision for Remote Area Medical developed when I suffered a personal injury while living among the Wapishana Indians in Guyana, South America. I was isolated from medical care, which was about a 26 day journey away. I witnessed the near devastation of whole tribes by what would have been simple or minor illnesses to more advanced cultures. When I left Guyana, I vowed to find a way to deliver basic medical aid to people in the world’s inaccessible regions. So, in 1985 I established the non-profit, Remote Area Medical or as most people know us – RAM and RAM is the way I have kept that promise, not only to the Wapishana Indians, but to thousands around the world in similar conditions,” he said.
Brock pioneered television programming focusing on nature and wildlife when he starred on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.
Stan was born in Lancashire, England and at age 17 moved to Guyana where he lived at and eventually became manager of The Dadanawa Ranch, which, at the time, was one of the world’s largest working cattle ranches. It was his experience in Guyana that led to Stan’s work with the animals of Wild Kingdom and numerous other television and movie projects beginning in 1963.
The Emmy Award Winning Brock took viewers, for the first time, to the far corners of the world to study wild animals in their natural habitats. Millions of families gathered around their televisions every week to watch Stan travel the world to wrestle giant anacondas in the Amazon and corral wildebeests in the Serengeti. Stan helped pioneer nature-centric television programming, which typically builds a suspenseful story around the challenges faced by wildlife biologists and the organisms they study. With Stan as a co-host, Wild Kingdom reached the largest audience in the program’s history and was only one of five syndicated shows nominated for an Emmy in 1972.
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom was heavily recognized, receiving 41 major awards, including four Emmys. Stan created, directed, and starred in the TV series Stan Brock’s Expedition Danger. He has also starred in several films including: Escape from Angola (1976) and The Forgotten Wilderness (1977). Most were productions of legendary Hollywood producer Ivan Tors who created Flipper, Sea Hunt, Daktari, and more.
Stan is the author of three books on his experiences in the Amazon, including: Leemo, A True Story of a Man’s Friendship with a Mountain Lion (London, 1967), More About Leemo (London, 1967) and Jungle Cowboy (USA, 1969), republished in 1999 as All the Cowboys were Indians.
Along the way he became a pioneer Amazon bush pilot, a noted authority on wildlife management and conservation, an expert on rain forests and their inhabitants, a TV wildlife adventurer, guest speaker, film actor, fitness enthusiast, author, naturalist, and black belt in Taekwon Do Karate. Stan has written numerous articles for national magazines, including Readers Digest and Outdoor Life, and has been featured in global media coverage such as TIME Magazine.
In 1985 Stan Brock founded Remote Area Medical® (RAM®), a non-profit organization addressing the needless pain and suffering caused by the lack of healthcare in impoverished, underserved, and isolated areas.
Stan has received, among many other honors, invitations to address United States Congressional Sub-committees regarding RAM’s® mission. Since Remote Area Medical® was founded, Stan Brock has mobilized over thousands of volunteers and health care professionals to deliver millions of dollars worth of free quality medical services.