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Liaison Council Meeting Minutes Draft WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: Ms. Hedetniemi welcomed members and guests. HANDOUTS: Power Plant Expansion: Mehryar Ebrahimi, Project Officer Ron Baker, Chief Program Manager PRESENTATIONS: Mr. Ebrahimi opened his presentation with a brief history of how plans for the power plant expansion developed. When the Master Plan developed, it was clear that the construction projects would necessitate more power. A Master Utility Plan was devised to provide power for Building 50, the Vaccine Research Center, the Clinical Research Center, and the utility penthouse on Building 10. Initially, plans called for moving the power plant, but further study led to the decision to expand and remodel the existing facility. Since work began in October 1997, challenges have resulted from working in the limited space of the old plant and without an existing footprint for building in the adjacent area. For example, a five-month delay was caused by unexpectedly encountering a huge mountain of rock in the construction area. Great care was taken to find a company to destroy the rock without creating vibrations or noise that would disturb adjacent buildings or nearby neighborhoods. Mr. Ebrahimi illustrated his talk with slides of the construction site and the rock removal procedure. The expansion will accommodate four new chillers, seven more cooling towers and new boilers. These will be constructed with a five-story basement, the deepest at NIH. All new chillers and boilers will feature low-noise and energy-saving efficiencies. All older boilers will be modernized and updated with energy-saving devises. Sound walls will be constructed over the chillers and boilers to further noise reduction. Mr. Ebrahimi showed a slide of the building as it will appear when completed with added towers and sound walls. Mr. Clifford announced that Mr. Ebrahimi had recently been named the National Institutes of Health Professional Engineer of the Year by the National Society of Professional Engineers. This award is given to only 30 engineers in different organizations throughout the country. NIH Tree Preservation Program: Lynn Mueller, Chief, Ground Maintenance and Landscaping Section, ORS Mr. Mueller opened his presentation with a brief history of ground maintenance at the NIH. In 1938, when the original buildings opened at the present campus, the landscaping office was simply a room with lawn mowers. By the mid-1950's ground maintenance was headed by a landscape architect who held the post until 1972 when a horticulturalist was named to the position. In 1991, Mr. Mueller, who is a landscape architect, took over ground maintenance. NIH has been protecting and enhancing trees for 35 to 40 years. Beginning in 1979, the department initiated an informal one-for-one replacement policy. With the revision of the Master Plan in 1995, this policy was expanded and formalized. Since then, hundreds of trees have been replaced. Mr. Mueller said his office has a detailed program to assess campus trees. Their work is enhanced by a diagnostic tool called a resistograph which determines a tree's interior health by inserting a slender devise into the trunk. Recent work with this tool indicated that ten trees in various locations were in such bad condition that they needed to be removed immediately. Mr. Mueller showed photographs of a tree which on the exterior appeared healthy but, which the resistograph indicated, had a diseased core. The tree was so rotten that it shattered on being felled. In addition to testing with the resistograph, Mr. Mueller's office works on preventive maintenance to promote tree health, using the standards of the American Landscape Association. All in-house and outside contractors have to comply with these standards. Mr. Mueller said he prefers to replace trees with native varieties even though these can be hard to find. Mr. Mueller is also mindful that a number of the ornamental varieties that have been planted over the years are now an accepted part of the landscape and so are replaced in kind. Ms. Miller remarked that on the February tour, the tree barrier near the tennis courts seemed a bit thin. Mr. Mueller said a number of fir trees had been planted there, but he would review the situation. Mr. Schofer asked for copies of the photographs of the shattered tree to show his neighborhood association. He reported there had been complaints that the trees removed were "perfectly healthy," and he wanted to have the photos to counter this notion. Mr. Mueller agreed to give him copies. Ms. Hedetniemi asked to copy the photo for the next issue of the Update. ACTION ITEM: Mr. Mueller will give a copy of the photo to Mr. Schofer. Palladian will put the photo in the Update. Volunteering at the NIH Children's Inn: Mr. Gil Brown, Director, Children's Inn Mr. Brown said that the Children's Inn opened in 1990 to support the work of clinical research and treatment by providing a place to house children and their families who come to NIH from all over the country and the world. No treatment takes place in the Inn, but the children there may go to the Clinical Center for out-patient treatment. Children's Inn serves about 1,000 families a year at no charge, providing lodging, a kitchen for cooking and food storage, and other services. The Inn is supported by the community, churches and civic organizations. The Inn operates with a small staff, and volunteers contribute the equivalent of eleven full-time workers. Some of the services provided by volunteers are:
There are 250 people who regularly serve as volunteers at the Inn. The capacity of the Inn is 37 families. Sunday through Thursday, the Inn experiences 80% occupancy. There is a lower occupancy rate on the weekends, but the Inn is open every day of the year. The Children's Inn is not a government organization but a private company working in partnership with NIH. Only 15-20% of the operating budget comes from NIH; the remainder comes from fund-raising events and contributions. Clinical Trials Recruitment for Treatment: Elaine Robinovitz, Office of Patient Recruitment and Public Liaison, Clinical Center When the Clinical Center opened, it was the only place in the world conducting clinical research; now it is one of many, but the only place exclusively dedicated to clinical research. Ms. Robinovitz works to let people know about the work of the Clinical Center and recruits patients for treatment there. To be eligible, patients must 1) have an illness being studied at the NIH, and 2) meet physician's study criteria for the disease. She said most NIH protocols are small studies of 100 or fewer patients being treated in the early stages of a disease. An answering service with nurses on duty handles the 1,300 telephone inquiries the office receives each month. If someone calls with questions about an illness NIH is not studying, the contractor will try to direct the caller to another center outside NIH. Clinical Trials Recruitment of Healthy Volunteers: Joan Malin, Director, Clinical Research Volunteer Program, Clinical Center Ms. Malin described her job as recruiting healthy volunteers to provide normative data or controls for clinical research. Ms Malin's staff consists of two full time and one half time person. More than 265 protocols at NIH are in need of healthy volunteers; and in 1998, 4,873 healthy volunteers were recruited. Ms. Malin said those who are interested in volunteering can 1) come to the office which is located in Building 61 at Old Georgetown Road and Center Drive from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, or 2) sign on the Web site and wait for a call back from the office. To be accepted for a protocol, volunteers must call the contact person for the study to learn how much time and what tests are involved. There are also student programs with long term studies that require staying at the Clinical Center. To register, volunteers have to provide their social security number and a photo identification. If a volunteer is not qualified for an NIH study at the time, the office will ask if they wish to be part of the pool called for future opportunities. Ms. Billings asked if the cost of the studies was handled by the Institutes initiating the protocols and was told that it was. When asked about how compensation for the tests was determined, Ms. Malin replied that the volunteer's time is compensated at a prescribed amount per hour for simple tests. There is added "inconvenience" pay for any tests that are required. Volunteers for the NIH Charities: Randy Schools, Director, NIH Recreation and Welfare Association Recreation and Welfare Association is a separate non-government 501(C)(4) organization that started in 1945 as a small employee association serving patient needs. As NIH has grown and changed, so has the R & W. From a small organization providing cookies and holiday parties for patients, to a great deal more. The NIH charity that was started by the father of a patient who died, are Special Love/Camp Fantastic which provides recreational programs for patients, siblings and friends of patients. For example, the NIH Ski Club has special trips each year to nearby slopes where volunteers teach patients how to ski. The Friends of the Clinical Center helps patients who, because of illness, have had to give up careers and, consequently, need assistance with house or car payments or because they come from warmer climates, need winter clothing. In these endeavors, the Friends of the Clinical Center often work with the Red Cross and other organizations. New areas and initiatives in development are:
In late March, the circus is sponsoring a night to benefit NIH charities. In all, the R & W has 32 on-going activities and projects, including the fitness centers, and stores on the NIH campus. Attendees: Janyce Hedetniemi, OCL, NIH |
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