Patch Adams

This man is a humanist, he does not take into account the effect of sin and our departure from God, but there is so much truth to be found in this book. It inspires one to action. To take responsibility for our own health and delight in life. It should be mandatory reading for all those involved in health care, but the ideas of humor, love and passion for life transcend into any life work. I would like to have my pastor and the deacons read it. It compels me to take a walk, call a friend and show more ask my doctor if I can help him to make his waiting room more fun!
My only criticism would be the repetition, but he made his point. show less

Not at all what I was expecting. This is a collection of essays that covers the philosophy that Patch Adams brings to his medical practice. Entertaining; but I can't help but think that most of his ideas are hippie-dippy rainbows and unicorns. With the litigious nature of your average American, the HIPPA rules set out by the American government, and now Obamacare, I'm not sure how the Gesundheit Institute can hold onto its ideals and still practice medicine in America in 2013.

Meet Patch Adams, M.D., a social revolutionary whose medical career has been devoted to giving away health care-one of the most expensive things in America-for free. In 1971, Adams and a few colleagues founded the Gesundheit Institute in northern West Virginia. During the next twelve years, they operated a home-based family medical practice and treated more than 15,000 people without payment, malpractice insurance, or formal facilities.This is the story of Patch Adams' lifetime quest to show more transform the health care system, without recourse to socialized medicine. Nurtured by the generosity and idealism of its supporters, the Gesundheit Institute is giving shape to this dream by building a free, full-scale hospital and health care community that will be open to anyone from anywhere. Ambitious? Yes. Impossible? Not for those who know and work with Patch.In his frequent lectures at medical schools and international conferences, Adams' irrepressible energy cuts through the barriers of medicine as business to address the caring relationship between doctor and patient that is based on a mutually responsible, loving, creative, and even humorous human exchange. His incisive vision dispels the roles of the infallible doctor and acquiescent patient and heralds a brighter future of affordable, humane health care. show less

I have drunk the kool aid dished in this book. I love this book. This book makes the case why our current health care system sucks and the most simple of steps to correct it. You will need to read this book once to enjoy it and a second time on action steps. How to procced to make a difference in a warped system.