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Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams (born May 28, 1945) is an American physician, comedian, social activist, clown, and author. He founded the Gesundheit! Institute in 1971. Each year he organizes a group of volunteers from around the world to travel to various countries where they dress as clowns in an effort to bring humor to orphans, patients, and other people.[1]
Adams is currently based in Urbana, Illinois. In collaboration with the institute, he promotes an alternative health care model not funded by insurance policies.[1]
Adams is currently based in Urbana, Illinois. In collaboration with the institute, he promotes an alternative health care model not funded by insurance policies.[1]
Patch Adams - Wikipedia
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Patch Adams, M.D. - Transform 2010 - Mayo Clinic - YouTube
Patch Adams, M.D., author and founder of the Gesundheit! Institute, addressed the Transform 2010 Symposium sponsored by the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation...
Thank you my friend Maj Marty Hogan for letting us know that May 28 is the anniversary of the birth of American physician, comedian, social activist, clown, and author Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams.
Happy 73rd Birthday Patch Adams with many happy returns.
In Patch Adams own words from patchadams.org/patch-adams/
"I am a Doctor, but above all else I consider myself an activist for
peace, justice and care for all people.
Growing Up
My older brother and I were World War II babies. Dads career was in the army and he fought all of World War II and Korea. We grew up on army bases, outside the US during peacetime and stateside during wartime. Our last seven years with him were in Germany where he died in 1961. He was so damaged by his war experiences that he couldn’t connect with me. I had no father. My mother was remarkable. She loved us. She was a schoolteacher and fed me all of my interests, giving me self-esteem and making me a creative, loving man who cared for people.
After my father´s death we moved back to Virginia and I was placed in an all white school where I immediately was confronted with the ugliness of segregation. I got in trouble with my classmates and was beaten up for standing up to the racism that surrounded me. I was a strange, nerdy kid. In my late teens I was hospitalized three times because I didn’t want to live in a world of so much violence and injustice. Everything changed in the last hospitalization when I decided that instead of taking my life, I would make a (love) revolution. At 18, I found my desire to serve humanity through medicine and made the commitment to myself to never have another bad day. I decided to be happy. I left the hospital on fire and pursued a couple interests while working for my medical degree.
Gesundheit! Begins
First, I wanted to go out and engage the world as this happy soul. I started clowning in public and have done it daily since. Second, I set out to quench my thirst for knowledge by studying everything I could get my hands on. In order to become an instrument for peace, justice and care I read thousands of books. I needed to understand so I could create solutions. I became interested in whole systems thinking, looking for ways to integrate it with the hospital-community concepts that emerged in medical school. In my imagination I envisioned a communal eco-village hospital that would address every problem of the way healthcare was delivered in one model. I wrote it up in a paper in March, 1971 and this was the basis of what became the Gesundheit Institute.
I met my wife, Linda, in my last year of medical school (Medical College of Virginia, class of 1971). She was instrumental in the early years of the hospital´s functioning and I cannot imagine it without her. Together we had two sons, Atomic and Lars.
With an amazing group of friends we created the Gesundheit Institute, a pilot hospital model, which we operated for twelve years out of our communal home. We were always open for any kind of problem. Our policy was: 1) no charge 2) no health insurance reimbursement 3) no malpractice insurance 4) 3 to 4 hour initial interview with the patient 5) home as hospital 6) integration of all the healing arts 7) integration of medicine with performance arts, arts and crafts, nature, agriculture, education, recreation and social service 8) the health of the staff is as important as the health of the patient.
We did this for 12 years and saw thousands of patients. The experience was enchanting. Unfortunately we were so radical that we couldn’t find funding. The staff itself paid to practice. In 1984, we realized that we couldn’t continue operating this way. We needed a facility. In this context we decided to go public and I quickly became busy as a speaker.
and over time I´ve discovered a passion for teaching.
Breaking Ground
In the summer of 2011 we started construction of our first big building, a Teaching Center in West Virginia. This will allow us to see patients once again as well as providing a space to teach health care system design. In the excitement for this moment, I chose to move to Urbana, Illinois to live with my beloved Susan, who has been and continues to be a precise mentor to me. In recent years I’ve had the opportunity to work together with my sons and brother, Wildman, and life doesn’t get any better than that. All this in hopeful preparation for the dream of a crazy free hospital.
My life has been a dance with humanity.
Friends are my passion."
Patch Adams, M.D. - Transform 2010 - Mayo Clinic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdCrPBqQALc
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris Ramsey SGT Michael Thorin SPC Margaret Higgins SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
Happy 73rd Birthday Patch Adams with many happy returns.
In Patch Adams own words from patchadams.org/patch-adams/
"I am a Doctor, but above all else I consider myself an activist for
peace, justice and care for all people.
Growing Up
My older brother and I were World War II babies. Dads career was in the army and he fought all of World War II and Korea. We grew up on army bases, outside the US during peacetime and stateside during wartime. Our last seven years with him were in Germany where he died in 1961. He was so damaged by his war experiences that he couldn’t connect with me. I had no father. My mother was remarkable. She loved us. She was a schoolteacher and fed me all of my interests, giving me self-esteem and making me a creative, loving man who cared for people.
After my father´s death we moved back to Virginia and I was placed in an all white school where I immediately was confronted with the ugliness of segregation. I got in trouble with my classmates and was beaten up for standing up to the racism that surrounded me. I was a strange, nerdy kid. In my late teens I was hospitalized three times because I didn’t want to live in a world of so much violence and injustice. Everything changed in the last hospitalization when I decided that instead of taking my life, I would make a (love) revolution. At 18, I found my desire to serve humanity through medicine and made the commitment to myself to never have another bad day. I decided to be happy. I left the hospital on fire and pursued a couple interests while working for my medical degree.
Gesundheit! Begins
First, I wanted to go out and engage the world as this happy soul. I started clowning in public and have done it daily since. Second, I set out to quench my thirst for knowledge by studying everything I could get my hands on. In order to become an instrument for peace, justice and care I read thousands of books. I needed to understand so I could create solutions. I became interested in whole systems thinking, looking for ways to integrate it with the hospital-community concepts that emerged in medical school. In my imagination I envisioned a communal eco-village hospital that would address every problem of the way healthcare was delivered in one model. I wrote it up in a paper in March, 1971 and this was the basis of what became the Gesundheit Institute.
I met my wife, Linda, in my last year of medical school (Medical College of Virginia, class of 1971). She was instrumental in the early years of the hospital´s functioning and I cannot imagine it without her. Together we had two sons, Atomic and Lars.
With an amazing group of friends we created the Gesundheit Institute, a pilot hospital model, which we operated for twelve years out of our communal home. We were always open for any kind of problem. Our policy was: 1) no charge 2) no health insurance reimbursement 3) no malpractice insurance 4) 3 to 4 hour initial interview with the patient 5) home as hospital 6) integration of all the healing arts 7) integration of medicine with performance arts, arts and crafts, nature, agriculture, education, recreation and social service 8) the health of the staff is as important as the health of the patient.
We did this for 12 years and saw thousands of patients. The experience was enchanting. Unfortunately we were so radical that we couldn’t find funding. The staff itself paid to practice. In 1984, we realized that we couldn’t continue operating this way. We needed a facility. In this context we decided to go public and I quickly became busy as a speaker.
and over time I´ve discovered a passion for teaching.
Breaking Ground
In the summer of 2011 we started construction of our first big building, a Teaching Center in West Virginia. This will allow us to see patients once again as well as providing a space to teach health care system design. In the excitement for this moment, I chose to move to Urbana, Illinois to live with my beloved Susan, who has been and continues to be a precise mentor to me. In recent years I’ve had the opportunity to work together with my sons and brother, Wildman, and life doesn’t get any better than that. All this in hopeful preparation for the dream of a crazy free hospital.
My life has been a dance with humanity.
Friends are my passion."
Patch Adams, M.D. - Transform 2010 - Mayo Clinic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdCrPBqQALc
FYI COL Mikel J. Burroughs LTC Stephen C. LTC Ivan Raiklin, Esq. Capt Seid Waddell Capt Tom Brown SFC William Farrell SSgt Robert Marx SSgt (Join to see) TSgt Joe C. SGT John " Mac " McConnell SP5 Mark Kuzinski SPC (Join to see) SrA Christopher Wright PO1 William "Chip" Nagel SP5 Robert Ruck SCPO Morris Ramsey SGT Michael Thorin SPC Margaret Higgins SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
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Maj Marty Hogan A timely post sir. And I'd like to add a Patch-ism: "The reason adults should look as though they are having fun, is to give kids a reason to want to grow up."
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SPC Margaret Higgins
Maj William W. 'Bill' Price: That is one great truism of yours. THANK YOU FOR IT, MAJOR PRICE!
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