560 red noses ready for PatchFest

By JOHN HOWELL
Posted 8/27/19

By JOHN HOWELL Rick Corrente has a red nose. Actually, he has 560 of them, and next Monday, Labor Day, he hopes the noses will have helped him raise thousands to build a free hospital, the dream of Dr. Hunter Patch" Adams. A mortgage broker and former"

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

560 red noses ready for PatchFest

Posted

Rick Corrente has a red nose. Actually, he has 560 of them, and next Monday, Labor Day, he hopes the noses will have helped him raise thousands to build a free hospital, the dream of Dr. Hunter “Patch” Adams.

A mortgage broker and former Democratic candidate for Warwick mayor, Corrente is the driving force behind PatchFest, a day of entertainment, children’s games, vendors and car show at Mulligan’s Island on New London Avenue in Cranston. PatchFest opens at 8 a.m. and runs to 8 p.m.

And what do red noses have to do with it all?

The red nose is all about laughter, an essential ingredient to the medicine practiced by Dr. Adams.

In the movie “Patch Adams,” actor Robin Williams – playing the role of Adams as a medical student – takes a red bulb from a syringe to transform into a clown to the delight of hospitalized children and the anger of the medical school director.

Corrente is hopeful PatchFest will bring a smile to the real Dr. Hunter “Patch” Adams.

In a telephone interview, Adams stated his commitment to building the $70 million, 40-room free hospital and expressed his frustration with all the broken promises to help him. The movie epilogue falsely reports the hospital as operating. Further, Adams said that when it came to signing the contracts to produce the movie, he asked the 12 in the room if money raised from the film would go to building the hospital and all of them said it would. Adams said no funds from the film, which he said grossed $700 million, have gone to the hospital.

In addition, Adams said he didn’t receive any funds from the film.

“Not only did they lie but they shot me in the foot,” he said.

He is also discouraged that 90 percent of those saying they will help don’t follow through.

“I’m in the 49th year of a project that I thought would take four,” Adams said. But he’s not defeated.

Corrente was one of those who followed through with a pledge to build the hospital. When Adams called to thank him, the two talked for nearly an hour and Corrente came up with a plan to help raise funds for the cause.

Corrente says he knows how to promote, and that’s the role he’s taken in putting together PatchFest. As of Monday, 50 vendors have committed to the event, three bands are scheduled to play, 10,000 fliers have been distributed and the event has been promoted by numerous media outlets. The event also incorporates a “mega” car show with a DJ.

So far, Corrente estimates he’s raised $2,000 in donations. More funds will come in from ticket sales – $5 for adults, and children under 12 and seniors 65 and older are free – as well as car show registrations and maybe the noses.

Corrente is thinking a dollar donation for a nose.

Adams continues to espouse his belief that medical treatment is too costly and that physicians don’t spend the time listening to their patients. On average, he said, physicians spend 7.8 minutes talking with a first-time patient when they should be spending three to four hours. He said doctors are prepared to staff the hospital for $300 a month.

According to the Patch Adams website, the Gesundheit hospital being built by the Gesundheit Institute in West Virginia “will embody our activist philosophy: a free, communal style hospital, nested in a community ecovillage, with a Teaching Center. The hospital will deliver care in a context that models our ideal design. The Teaching Center will educate visiting practitioners to create their ideal design.”

Adams has a vigorous schedule of speaking engagements and will be in Costa Rica during PatchFest. He said he would plan to attend should a second PatchFest be held.

Dr. Adams summarizes his vision of more than a hospital on his website:

“I envisioned a community where people with poor self-images could go, actively participate in the rebuilding their lives, and reestablish love of self and of others – the most potent therapy of all. I envisioned a farm of about 75 to 100 acres with a primary school, a library, dormitories for as many as 300 patients, and facilities for artists and craftspeople. We would have gardens to make the community self-sufficient and a range of projects to make work a joyous game.”

As for the hospital, he writes, “The community would have a permanent staff of doctors and a temporary staff of teachers. Most people would stay only a few hours or days, but those needing the community for longer periods would stay longer. My idea at that time (and still is, now) is that this model hospital would not necessarily be copied but rather would stimulate other groups to develop their own ideal medical approach for their communities.”

Adams didn’t provide information on the status of funding for the hospital. Construction started on the education center in 2011.

Corrente is optimistic of a huge turnout Monday. He notes the forecast is for perfect weather and he can think of no better cause.

Comments

6 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here

  • Cat2222

    So far I haven't heard of the event outside of the Beacon. I hope that it reaches as many people as intended. It sounds like a very nice time for family to get together and support a growing cause. Good Luck!

    Tuesday, August 27, 2019 Report this

  • Former User

    People can donate to the Gesundheit Institute directly through their website, like I did: https://www.patchadams.org/

    (This is the second time the Beacon did not even mention the organization's website.)

    Tuesday, August 27, 2019 Report this

  • Justanidiot

    man, we erected the rong clown to the mayorship

    Wednesday, August 28, 2019 Report this

  • wwkvoter

    didnt I see a yard sign about this being at Mulligan's mini golf? Isnt that where another mayoral candidate recently freed from her duties in cranston landed? What a small world!

    Well I hope this is a fun event...

    Wednesday, August 28, 2019 Report this

  • tjdwyer

    When this event is over, I hope Mr Corrente will go around the city and

    remove all the signs put on the poles littering many intersections. But then again, we all know how well Mr Corrente is with taking down signs in the city.

    Monday, September 2, 2019 Report this

  • bendover

    So Dick, Now that the "Patchfest" event is over, and all those vendors that donated equipment and time, just how much money was raised?

    Tuesday, September 3, 2019 Report this