Florida law keeps docs from volunteering at free clinics

Bradenton (FOX 13) - More than a thousand patients received free medical treatments as medical providers transformed Manatee Technical College into a one stop shop medical treatment center for those that can’t afford to go to a doctor. Patients received free services from doctors, dentists and eye doctors over the weekend-long event provided by the RAM organization.

RAM, which stands for Remote Area Medical, invited everyone, from children to the elderly to stop by. No questions asked, no money required. But, organizers say many more patients might have been helped if a Florida law didn’t prevent medical professionals from crossing state lines to practice medicine. The law kept these medical volunteers from getting to the free clinic this weekend and forced organizers to turn hundreds of patients in need away.