Children's Inn at NIH
7 West Drive
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301) 496-5672
(800) 644-4660
Phone from NIH: x4-6440
Located one block from the Clinical Center on the Bethesda campus, The Children’s Inn at NIH is a private, nonprofit, family-centered residence for pediatric outpatients at the National Institute of Health and for their families. The Inn was created to do three things for these children:
- to keep them together with their families during serious illness
- to reduce their stress
- to facilitate their healing through mutual support
The Inn relies on private contributions for its operating funds.
Who can stay at the Inn?
- Patients under age 18 years who live at least 60 miles from the NIH campus while they are receiving treatment at NIH.
- New patients age 18 to 25 years may be referred to The Inn if they are on a pediatric protocol.
- The Inn is for the use of these patients and their families from 24 hours prior to their first clinic appointment up to 24 hours after their final clinic appointment. International families may come 48 hours before their appointment and stay 48 hours later.
- Guests are issued keys, one of which permits them to enter The Inn any time.
- Patients may be from any institute of the NIH.
- Patients with a DNR are permitted to stay at The Inn when their primary NIH physician has determined they are stable and are unlikely to have health problems while staying at The Inn.
- When The Inn's capacity is overbooked, the staff uses established medical priority guidelines to determine who will be able to stay in The Inn’s 59 rooms and who will need to go to a nearby hotel, returning as space becomes available.
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Cost
While there is no cost to the family, there is a fee per night’s stay for each family’s room that an Institute’s or protocol’s budget is asked to pay.
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Length of stay
- There is a 120-day limit of stay for all patients.
- Exceptions are granted on a case by case basis when there is a compelling medical reason for the patient to stay near the Clinical Center for more than 120 days. The child’s social worker or physician should discuss potential needs with the Inn manager.
- Patients anticipating a stay of 120 days or longer will need to work with their social worker to locate housing in the area.
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First Referral
- Children's Inn Referral Form
- The first referral to The Inn must be made by the NIH social worker assigned to the patient after a visit has been confirmed with an NIH clinic/physician.
- In some cases, this referral is made by an NIH patient administrator or research nurse. A copy of the referral is sent to the patient’s NIH-assigned social worker.
- The social worker or patient administrator contacts The Inn and speaks to an Inn Manager. The social worker uses The Inn’s First Referral Form to fax complete information about the patient/family needing accommodations, and informs the patient family about all initial arrangements.
- If there is time prior to arrival, The Inn’s staff will mail (or fax) the family these items:
- welcome letter
- information about The Inn
- The Inn’s 800# is provided in case they wish to contact the staff for more information. This helps to allay many concerns about the first visit.
- "First visit families" need to arrive no later than 7 p.m.
- They will receive an orientation tour so that they will know about The Inn's safety issues and self-help concepts.
- An Inn representative will call a few days before the anticipated arrival to confirm that the family is still planning to stay at The Inn.
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Return Visits
If a patient is accepted into a protocol after the first screening visit, the booking of any subsequent stays at The Children’s Inn is the responsibility of the parent/guardian or adult patient (on a pediatric protocol).
Returning families are permitted a 9:00 PM arrival deadline on day of arrival.
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Transportation to and from the Clinical Center
Inn residents can use a shuttle service to and from the Clinical Center every weekday. The shuttle runs on a reduced schedule on weekends and holidays.
In May 2004, the Inn opened a new wing, including 22 additional sleeping rooms.
This information is prepared specifically for caregivers involved in clinical research at the NIH Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health.
