Patch Adams

Overview


Hunter Campbell "Patch" Adams (born May 28 1945 in Washington, District of Columbia) founded the Gesundheit! Institute in 1972. Patch Adams is a social activist, citizen diplomat, professional clown, performer, and author. Each year he organizes a group of volunteers from around the world to travel to Russia as clowns, to bring hope and joy to orphans, patients, and the people. In 1998 he also visited Bosnia, one of the Balkan Peninsula countries torn apart by the war that started after the break-up of Yugoslavia.

His life was the template for the plot of the movie Patch Adams, starring Robin Williams. Adams is currently based in Arlington, Virginia, where he promotes alternative health care in collaboration with the institute.

Early career
After attending Wakefield High School in 1963, Patch Adams completed pre-med coursework at the George Washington University. He began medical school without an undergraduate degree, and earned his Doctor of Medicine degree at the Medical College of Virginia, Health Sciences Division of Virginia Commonwealth University in 1973. In the late 60s, one of his closest friends (not his girlfriend as seen in the movie) was murdered. Convinced of the powerful connection between environment and wellness, he believes the health of an individual cannot be separated from the health of the family, community, and the world. While working in an adolescent clinic at MCV, in his final year of med school, he met Linda Edquist, a volunteer in the clinic and student at VCU. Soon after graduation, Patch, Linda, and friends founded the Gesundheit! Institute (originally known to many as the Zanies), which ran as a free community hospital for 12 years. He and Linda later would have two children and separated in 1997. The eldest, Atomic Zagnut Adams, was given a name indicative of Patch and his close friend Leo's personal laugh with life. His younger son's name is Lars Zig Edquist Adams; since the fall 2007 he is a junior at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Gesundheit! Institute
A revamped Gesundheit! Institute, envisioned as a free, full-scale hospital and health care eco-community, is planned on 316 acres in Pocahontas County in West Virginia. Its goal is to integrate a traditional hospital with alternative medicine--acupuncture, homeopathy, etc. Care will combine integrative medicine with performing arts, crafts, nature, agriculture, and recreation. The West Virginia location accepts seasonal volunteers through the website. The new hospital has not been built as Patch continues to seek funding. The current caretaker staff at the West Virginia land is actively developing educational programs in sustainable systems design targeted to medical students, university alternative break groups, and the general public. Several videos and books have also been produced including Patch Adams.

Since the 1990s Adams has supported the Ithaca Health Alliance (IHA), originally founded as the Ithaca Health Fund (IHF) by Paul Glover. In January 2006 IHA launched the Ithaca Free Clinic, bringing to life key aspects of Adams' vision. Patch Adams has also given strong praise to Health Democracy, a book written and published the same year.

In October of 2007, Patch Adams and the Gesundheit Board unveiled its campaign to raise $1 million dollars towards building a Teaching Center and Clinic on its land in West Virginia. The Center and Clinic will enable Gesundheit to see patients and teach health care design.