Patch Adams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Patch Adams
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Adams in 2009
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| Born |
Hunter Doherty Adams
May 28, 1945 Washington, D.C., U.S.
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| Education | Virginia Commonwealth University (MD) |
| Occupation |
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| Spouse(s) |
Linda Edquist
(m. 1975; div. 1998)Susan Parenti
(m. 2010) |
| Children | 2 |
Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams (born May 28, 1945) is an American physician, comedian, social activist, clown, and author. He is famous for his unique approach to medicine, which includes using humor and clowning to help people.
Patch Adams started the Gesundheit! Institute in 1989. This is a non-profit group that works to change how healthcare is given. Every year, he also brings volunteers from all over the world to different countries. They dress up as clowns to bring laughter and joy to children in orphanages, hospital patients, and other people who need a smile.
Adams lives in Urbana, Illinois. He works with the Gesundheit! Institute to promote a different kind of healthcare. This model is not paid for by regular health insurance plans.
Early Life and Medical Journey
Patch Adams was born on May 28, 1945, in Washington, D.C.. His father was an officer in the United States Army. He died when Patch was only 16 years old. After his father's death, Adams moved back to the United States with his mother and brother.
Adams has said that when he returned, he saw a lot of racism and segregation. He stood up against it, which made him a target for bullies at school. He went to Wakefield High School and finished in 1963. He then studied pre-med at George Washington University.
He started medical school without a first college degree. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1971 from the Medical College of Virginia. This college is part of Virginia Commonwealth University. In the late 1960s, a close friend was killed by a patient. This made Adams believe strongly that a person's health is connected to their surroundings. He thinks that the health of one person cannot be separated from the health of their family, community, and the world.
The Gesundheit! Institute's Vision
| Founded | 1989 |
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| Founder | Hunter "Patch" Adams |
| Type | Not-for-profit health care |
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| Services | Integrative medicine |
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Key people
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Chair, Cari Brackett, Pharm.D John T. Glick, MD Susan R. Parenti, DMA |
After he graduated, Patch, his wife Linda, and their friends began to develop ideas for The Gesundheit! Institute. From 1971 to 1984, they ran a shared "home" where they practiced their ideas. In 1989, the Gesundheit! Institute officially became a non-profit organization.
The institute is located on Adams' property in rural West Virginia. It has been raising money to build a special hospital. The plan is for a 44-bed community hospital. This hospital will offer free, complete care to "anyone who wants it." It will also have a teaching area for 120 staff members. Everyone will live together in a shared, eco-friendly village.
Money from the 1998 movie about Patch Adams helped build three buildings. These buildings are a farmhouse, a workshop, and a dacha (a type of country house). They are used for workshops and courses offered by the institute. The institute also has a "School for Designing a Society." This school teaches people how to change society through desire, design, and creativity. It offers courses on caring and workshops on clowning.
In 1997, Adams received the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award. This award honors people who show great courage in standing up for what is right.
In 2008, Adams became the honorary chair of a group called the "International Association for the Advancement of Creative Maladjustment" (IAACM). This group supports "creative maladjustment" and social change. It means thinking differently to make the world better.
Since the 1990s, Adams has also supported the Ithaca Health Alliance (IHA). This group started the Ithaca Free Clinic in 2006. The clinic brings to life many of Adams' ideas about free healthcare.
As of 2016, Adams says he gives lectures about 300 days a year. He has done this for over 30 years in 81 countries. He spreads a message of love, community, and a call to end capitalism.
Personal Life
While working at a clinic during his last year of medical school, Patch Adams met Linda Edquist. She was also a student and volunteered at the clinic. Adams and Edquist got married in 1975. They had two sons, Atomic Zagnut "Zag" Adams and Lars Zig Edquist Adams. They divorced in 1998.
In March 2021, Adams shared that his left foot had to be removed. This was due to ongoing problems from an infection called MRSA.
See also
In Spanish: Patch Adams para niños
- Clown Care
- Humor research
