ABSTRACT
Imagine an overcrowded health clinic with people patiently waiting hours, sometimes days, to see the overwhelmed doctors, nurses, and dentists who perform examinations and procedures in temporary structures. Haiti? Sub-Saharan Africa? Southeast Asia? Actually, it’s a medical expedition in America. The volunteers for Remote Area Medical serve all over the world, but today 60 percent of their work is done in the United States. They provide medical, dental, and eye care for thousands of the working poor—under- or uninsured Americans. Residents of Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, California, even Washington, DC, have received free health care from this volunteer organization. Who are the people receiving help? Why does this need exist? When does a personal health crisis become a social crisis?
