Planetree started as a layperson’s medical library. (If you think that’s nothing special, try getting useful health or specific disease information at your local library.) Now with more than two thousand volumes, it’s a model for similar efforts in other cities. In 1986 Planetree opened a Model Hospital Unit in Presbyterian Medical Center in San Francisco. A ward has been transformed into a friendly place where patients can interact with their families, recreating in the lounge, cooperating in treatment, and even preparing healthy meals themselves. Instant success!
