Health Care System Design: Thinking "Outside the Box"

September 20-24, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Patch Adams, M.D. and the School for Designing a Society invite you to join us for an immersion program of dreaming and designing — of thinking "Outside the Box" of the current health care system. This 5-day design intensive focuses on the questions "What health care delivery system do I want?" and "How do I begin to design and implement that?"

Doctors and nurses, medical and nursing students, public health activists, midwives, patients, community minded dreamers – all are welcome to participate. The program specifically addresses those people who feel the current medical system is undesirable, and who want the time, tools and community to intensively figure out what to do next.

Read responses to the 2005 intensive »

Teaching Staff:

Location: Massanetta Springs Conference Center, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Dates: The Intensive begins Wednesday afternoon (September 20th) with a welcome reception and ends with a final celebratory meal Sunday afternoon (September 24th). For those participants who cannot attend all five days, a supplementary handbook of concepts will be provided.

Tuition: Registration fee is $500
Please register early, to help defray organizing costs.

Maximum Enrollment: 50 Participants

Lodging: All participants will stay at Massanetta Springs' lovely campus nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. This provides us the opportunity to come together as a community—living, working and supporting one another, sharing our dreams in the wee hours of the morning, as well as our meals, our emerging ideas, and incorporating play and rest, friend making, contemplative walks, and rigorous mental activity.

Registration Deadline: September 5th is the deadline for registration.

Questions? Need more information? Please contact Susan at healthintensive@yahoo.com or phone 217-344-1439

NOTE: Health Providers interested in CME units will have the option of requesting credit for their participation.

Application Process

Application consists of submitting the questionnaire below and a $200 non-refundable deposit. Registration will be considered complete only upon receipt of the deposit and response to the application questions.

You may completely register online via the School for Designing a Society registration page.

  1. In 500 words or less, please tell us:
    • Who are you?...Where do you live?
    • Why are you interested in attending the intensive?
    • What do you do? and more importantly...What would you like to do?
    • How do we contact you? (full name, mailing address, email & telephone numbers)
  2. You may submit your response using the form below, or email your response and any questions directly to Susan, healthintensive@yahoo.com.
  3. Mail your non-refundable deposit to:
    • School for Designing a Society
    • Attn: Susan Parenti
    • 122 Franklin St.
    • Urbana, Illinois 61801