We inspire people and communities to become principal agents in their own healing. Through a variety of educational programming, our aim is to seed/design a variety of projects that move the healthcare delivery system away from the corporate-business context into models of compassion and service. I became interested in whole systems thinking, looking for ways to integrate it with the hospital-community concepts that emerged in medical school. We CANNOT see patients until a proper facility is built. If you have ever felt positive about this project and agree with us that it should continue, we hope you'll be able to step up and donate some amount to help us keep going. He came back to the US, with his mother and brother, and settled in Virginia. After separating from my wife in 1997, I submerged myself in working to get our hospital built. Gesundheit! Meet PATCH ADAMS, M.D., a social revolutionary who has devoted his life to giving away health care. I decided to be happy. It consists of three distinct initiatives which address the yearning for a world that meets human needs unconditionally. 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. I needed to understand so I could create solutions. She loved us. Please read my short autobiography below to learn a little more and if it’s interesting, consider purchasing my book, Gesundheit!. In order to become an instrument for peace, justice and care I read thousands of books. I am a Doctor, but above all else I consider myself an activist for peace, justice and care for all people. Equipped with colorful clothing and compassion we visited hospitals, orphanages, homes for the elderly as well as just clowning on the street. Several years later the movie about my life, “Patch Adams”, was released. In this context we decided to go public and I quickly became busy as a speaker. My mother was remarkable. Formed in 2006, Gesundheit Global Outreach (GGO) encompasses humanitarian clowning missions and aid, educational programs, building projects and community development around the world. In 1985, I took a group of people on a clown trip to what was then the Soviet Union. I had no father. It did, however, bring a great deal more visibility to our project and opened many wonderful doors to new directions for Gesundheit to pursue. The experience was enchanting. Healing is to be a loving human relationship not a business transaction. Over the course of the last two decades I´ve been on the road for 200-300 days of the year. From 1971 through 1983 we used our communal home as a hospital to test our ideas. In 1984, we realized that we couldn’t continue operating this way. resides on a 300-acre pristine tract of farm and mountain land in rural West Virginia, with gardens, meadows, creeks, waterfalls, a lake, and clean air and water. There are countless opportunities to volunteer and support at least one of these initiatives. Box 307, Urbana, IL 61803. Since then, these trips have been an integral part of Gesundheit´s global outreach. From 1971 through 1983 we used our communal home as a hospital to test our ideas.