Free medical care in the good USA

Stan Brock was born in England.  From 1952 to 1968, he managed the world’s largest cattle ranch operation, a 4,000-square mile combination of rainforest and savannah in British Guiana. There, he became a pioneer bush pilot and subsequently acquired numerous ratings and certifications including airline transport pilot. It was during this time that his vision for Remote Area Medical® was born after he suffered a terrible horse-related injury while living among the Wapishana Indians and was 26 days away from the nearest medical care. He then vowed to bring medical care closer to the people who needed it.

In 1968, he began co-hosting NBC’s Emmy winning series

Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom,

one of the most watched television shows in the country, with more than 32 million weekly viewers.

In 1985, he founded Remote Area Medical – RAM™ and continues to serve, without compensation, as RAM’s Founder and President. Because of his work with RAM, Mr. Brock has been recognized as the pioneer of bringing free health care to people in need.  Today, thanks to RAM’s corps of 120,000 volunteers, RAM has treated close to 1 million women, men, and children providing a total of $120 million in free medical care.

For the past three decades, Brock has devoted most every waking hour to helping RAM and its mission; from navigating red tape and regulations, to get volunteers on the ground, to volunteering himself and coordinating its latest relief efforts. Yet he still makes time to talk with the media, seeing it as mission-critical to get the word out and hopefully move people to open their wallets. Virtually all the organization’s funding comes from individuals who believe in its mission—small donations of $5, $20, $50. In 2014, those types of contributions made up 96 percent of its budget, state records show. It takes no money from the government.

Brock has managed to take an abstract idea to offer medical help and turn it into a multi-million-dollar relief operation, although he’s quick to duck credit for such a thing, instead pointing to the thousands of men and women, medical doctors and dentists and others, who have volunteered time and energy over the years, or donated money, to help those in need. RAM’s operating budget fluctuates year-to-year depending on when different disasters strike and what sorts of relief efforts may be needed, but it generally tops more than $1 million, Secretary of State filings show.