<BillNo> <Sponsor>
SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 157
By Massey
SJR0157
003555
- 1 -
A RESOLUTION to honor and commend Remote Area Medical on
the occasion of the organization's fortieth
anniversary.
WHEREAS, it is fitting that the members of this General Assembly pay tribute to those
exemplary organizations that work with purpose and conviction to improve the quality of life in
their respective communities; and
WHEREAS, one such esteemed organization is Remote Area Medical (RAM), which
celebrates its fortieth anniversary this year, marking four decades of serving vulnerable
populations in need of quality medical care; and
WHEREAS, now nationally renowned, RAM was founded in Rockford in 1985 by Stan
Brock, a British-born Amazonian cowboy turned star of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, who
envisioned an America where everyone has access to health care, regardless of location or
ability to pay; and
WHEREAS, an inspirational adventurer who went from wrestling giant anacondas on
television to grappling with one of the biggest social issues of our time, Mr. Brock set out with a
mission to prevent pain and alleviate suffering by providing free, quality health care to those in
need through the operation of pop-up and telehealth clinics offering dental, vision, and medical
services to the uninsured, underinsured, and underserved; and
WHEREAS, RAM receives no payments from patients, no money from taxpayers, and
no federal funding; it accomplishes its noble mission through the continued generosity of
volunteers, donors, and supporters; and
WHEREAS, in the four decades since RAM's founding, more than 230,000 volunteers—
primarily licensed physicians and pre-professional students—have served nearly 978,000
- 2 - 003555
patients in forty-two states, providing more than $215 million in free care; the organization
anticipates caring for its millionth patient in 2025, as well as conducting 150 full-scale mobile
and telehealth visits in Tennessee alone; and
WHEREAS, RAM serves marginalized indigent and working class individuals struggling
to make ends meet, the penniless, the forgotten, and the millions of fellow Americans who have
slipped through the cracks of our porous healthcare system, keeping Stan Brock's legacy of
hope alive; and
WHEREAS, whether serving under-resourced communities in rural areas or providing
care to the unhoused, recovering veterans, and survivors of abuse in urban areas, RAM brings
health care to the patient despite their location or ability to pay; the organization exists to ensure
that even the most vulnerable among us have access to the same quality health care we all
deserve; and
WHEREAS, Remote Area Medical has provided compassionate, quality care for the
underserved in Tennessee for forty years now, and it is our privilege to recognize this vital
organization on this special occasion; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FOURTEENTH
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, that we honor and commend Remote Area Medical upon
the organization's fortieth anniversary, commending its continued commitment to bringing free
health care to remote and underserved communities throughout Tennessee and across
America.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
without House or Senate designation.