Free Health clinic at Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio

A freefour-day health clinic begins Thursday at the Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio.

The volunteer-staffed clinic will offer medical, dental and vision careto local residents through Sunday. People will be seen first come, firstserved, with no income test or eligibility requirement. The clinic will open at5:30 a.m. each day, and people can start lining up at 3 a.m., according toorganizers.

The clinic is coordinated by RAM California, the state affiliate of theRemote Area Medical Foundation, a volunteer group that provides health services around the United States and the world.

Up to 800 people are expected each day of the clinic, according toorganizers. Mobile vision labs will produce free prescription eyeglasses;dental staff will do cleanings, fillings and extractions; and doctors will giveconsultations and diagnoses and do minor medical procedures.

RAM clinics typically serve people who are uninsured, underinsured andimpoverished. However, at recent clinics, there has been an increase in people who have recently lost their jobs, the “working poor” and insured families who cannot pay high insurance co-pays and deductibles, according to RAM founder Stan Brock.