Organizers of free health clinic will distribute color-coded wristbands

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Thousands of people line the perimeter of the L.A. Sports Arena hoping to get wristbands for access to free medical care from Remote Area Medical’s seven-day clinic. Only 1,200 wristbands were handed out Wednesday, leaving many disappointed and frustrated.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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After being told that no more people would be allowed in to the free clinic, Charles Russell Jr., 50, begs for medical care outside the L.A. Sports Arena.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Thousands of people needing medical care line up at the L.A. Sports Arena where the free clinic is taking place.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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A man waits for dental care amid the bustle of the Remote Area Medical clinic at the L.A. Sports Arena.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Luis Castro, 38, expresses relief after getting free dental care from Janet Star Lor, 24, a dental hygiene student volunteering her services at the Remote Area Medical clinic that has temporarily set up shop in the L.A. Sports Arena. The clinic has served thousands of needy and uninsured people since it opened this week for a seven-day run.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

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Dental student volunteer Monique Gonzalez puts on gloves before entering the second L.A.-area free clinic sponsored by Remote Area Medical, a Tennessee-based nonprofit. The clinic opened Tuesday at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. At least 1,200 patients had received wristbands entitling them to treatment during the weeklong event. About 320 doctors, dentists and other medical professionals were expected to volunteer.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

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Dental patients get treatment from Remote Area Medical team members on the first day of the weeklong clinic at the L.A. Sports Arena.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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Dentist R.K. Chetty, left, treats Steve Robinson as Ryan Bennett, right, assists.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

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A man waits for treatment on the first day of Remote Area Medical’s second L.A.-area free clinic, this one at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

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Alisha Brown, left, and Don LaZaire try on glasses at the clinic.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

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Rows of patients get their teeth worked on by the Remote Area Medical team at the L.A. Sports Arena.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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A patient gets dental service from a Remote Area Medical team at the L.A. Sports Arena.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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Noemi Fuerte, 26, of Southgate waits with her son Hugo, 10, and daughter Arliny, 5, in a growing line of those hoping to wait overnight to get wristbands that would allow them to be seen by the Remote Area Medical team during its weeklong free clinic at the L.A. Sports Arena. A limited number of wristbands are available on a first come, first served basis.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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Volunteer Susan Runge assists with vision tests at the clinic.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

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Business is brisk at the L.A. Sports Arena as the weeklong clinic opens.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

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Remote Area Medical team member Dick Stoops directs patients into the L.A. Sports Arena on Tuesday morning.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)

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The Rev. Cheryl Reynolds, left, and LaDonna Reynolds, in hoodie, are among those waiting to enter the clinic. Jamella Holmes is in the foreground.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

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Elizabeth Brookfield of South L.A. waits after arriving Tuesday morning to enter the clinic, which will run for a week.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

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A volunteer makes his way past vacant dentist chairs the day before the Remote Area Medical clinic opens at the Sports Arena. The seven-day clinic will offer free dental and vision exams, mammogams and diabetes screening, among other services. A team of more than 300 volunteer doctors, dentists and other medical professionals will see patients from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Most of those who seek services either do not have insurance or have limited coverage.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Pediatric dentist Marjorie Domino, left, helps stack boxes of medical supplies for the Remote Area Medical clinic, which opens Tuesday at the L.A. Sports Arena. Domingo will treat patients for free during the clinic.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Remote Area Medical’s L.A. coordinator, Jean Jolly, facing camera, receives a hug of gratitude from Claire M. Akre after Akre received a wristband allowing her to be seen at the RAM clinic. With thousands expected to want treatment, wristbands identifying which day of the clinic that people would be seen were distributed in advance.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Katie Wiggins, 68, left, Augustin Balle, 38, and others who have no medical or dental insurance wait in line in hopes of receiving a wristband allowing them to be seen by doctors and dentists during the weeklong Remote Area Medical clinic, which opens Tuesday at the L.A. Sports Arena. Everyone received a wristband.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

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Rose Johnson Brown, 61, of Los Angeles waits in line for the Remote Area Medical event at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Manuel Madrigal carries his brother Santigo Gonzales, 2 1/2, of San Bernardino, in the long line to get wristbands for the Remote Area Medical clinic at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Well prepared for the wait, Erin Shelby Tidwell-Carter, 6, works on a crossword puzzle while in line for the Remote Area Medical event at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Maria Cortez gets a wristband that will allow her to receive free healthcare at her appointment on Wednesday.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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Gloria Talbot, 55, says she has a tooth infection and needs antibiotics. She is in a wheelchair because she was in an accident at work and then had a stroke.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

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A long line forms outside Los Angeles Sports Arena near downtown as people wait to pre-register for the Remote Area Medical that will begin Tuesday.
Read complete free clinic coverage. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

By Molly Hennessy-Fiske

April 12, 2010 10:40 PM PT

The organizers of a massive free clinic scheduled to return to Los Angeles later this month announced Monday that they will distribute color-coded wristbands in advance of their opening at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, a change they hope will reduce patient lines.

“This way, people can come on their designated day and not worry about long lines just to get in. The wristband is the ticket into the clinic,” said Don Manelli, an organizer with Knoxville, Tenn.-based Remote Area Medical, the nonprofit sponsoring the clinic.

The clinic, to be held April 27 to May 3 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., is expected to draw thousands of uninsured and under-insured patients.

Organizers plan to distribute the wristbands starting at 9 a.m. April 25 outside the arena at 3939 S. Figueroa St.

Those seeking treatment on a particular day can get in line to receive a wristband color-coded for that day. Each family member seeking medical, dental and vision care must get in line to receive a wristband, although parents and caregivers may claim wristbands for their children and charges.

Wristbands are not interchangeable or removable.

Volunteers at the first clinic, held in August at the Forum in Inglewood, treated more than 6,300 people. Scores more were turned away because of a shortage of medical volunteers.

More information is available at www.ramfreeclinic.org.

molly.hennessy-fiske@latimes.com