The Butler Collaborative for Families is grateful for the opportunity we had over the past 18 months to support the Remote Area Medical clinic that happened this past weekend.

The best part was the way our community came together, from our community leaders, fire, safety and police, the school district (amazing custodial, maintenance and security!), businesses (small and large), library, civic and fraternal organizations, and human service agencies. Through this collective effort, 334 patients were served and $161,254 in services were provided.

The importance of this clinic was underlined by patients like the veteran who was dropped off at midnight prepared to sleep on the cold pavement to wait for dental care, the young family with five children who were able to get vision and dental care and the woman who was paying for one dental extraction at a time due to what she could afford (she had a 10-year plan to get dentures). The RAM project and our community response was a perfect example of the BCF mission to “strengthen the system of care for individuals and families of Butler County.” I am proud to live in Butler and I am very honored to serve beside many of you!

For more information about the BCF, please visit butlerfamilies.com.

Respectfully,

Linda Thoma, BCF Co-Chair, Oakland Township