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WISE, VA - JULY 21: Donnie Eaststep lies near his wheelchair in the emergency tent of the Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic July 21, 2007 at the Wise County Fairground in Wise, Virginia. Eaststep, a smoker, was placed on oxygen and was later moved to an area hospital for treatment. Rural families, most with little or no insurance, lined up for hours to receive free health care from hundreds of professional doctors, nurses, dentists, and other health workers. The annual medical clinic, positioned in the heart of Appalachia, expects to see more than 7,000 patients in its three days this year; the problems endemic to the area, including obesity and hypertension, have higher mortality rates than elsewhere in the country. At the clinic In 2006, volunteers pulled a total of 3476 bad teeth, performed 1109 eye examinations and gave out 710 free prescription eyeglasses. All services, equipment and supplies are donated.
