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REMARKS BY:
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TOMMY G. THOMPSON, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
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PLACE:
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Children's Inn at NIH, Bethesda, Maryland
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DATE:
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May 5, 2004
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Secretary Thompson's Remarks at the Children's Inn at NIH New Wing Dedication Ceremony
Good afternoon. Thank you, Cokie Roberts for that kind introduction. Cokie and I have done a lot with the Children’s Inn. We’ve shared pizza with the children and we both participated in the Children’s Gala last October. Cokie, thank you so much for your compassion. I’d also like to thank Dr. Zerhouni for all the excellent work he does at the NIH.
I’d like to thank all of you for being here today in support of this wonderful cause. There are many Congressional spouses celebrating with us. I’d like to personally thank you for all the work you do, especially those of you who worked on the Inn’s Dedication Committee.
It is such a privilege to be here with you to open the expanded Children’s Inn at NIH. Thanks to the Inn’s leadership and the generous contributions of people like you, the Inn has been able to build a beautiful addition. Starting on Monday, 22 additional families will be able to stay at the Inn every night, because of this new wing. That’s a total of 59 families who can be housed at the Children’s Inn each and every night. Cost-free. Families, who have already been through so much, will be able to stay together in a comfortable and safe home. There, they can choose to interact with and gain strength from families sharing similar circumstances.
Even though these children and their families are away from home, they will be able to wake-up every morning in a home that offers love, support and encouragement. Throughout the day, the children at the Inn give their all and contribute to scientific breakthroughs. It is extremely important that we support them by providing a home to return to at the end of the day that’s filled with comfort and love.
We are providing a home with a fun-filled atmosphere, so each child can forget about being a patient…forget about the hospital…forget about the needles, and the testing, and the IV’s and enjoy being a kid.
We are providing a home where children can relax, play, cook a meal and share stories with others who understand.
There are special places at the Inn for everyone. Young children have a playroom with a great tree house. Teenagers can go to the teen room to listen to music and watch a big screen TV, and there’s a game room and multi-purpose room for kids of all ages to shoot pool or enjoy favorite Inn activities, like Bingo.
For those of you who don’t know, every other Tuesday night is Bingo Night at the Inn. One of the Inn’s former residents, 9-year-old Alexis says she loved Tuesday night Bingo. When she and her family returned to Kentucky from the Inn, her mother spent several days driving the rural roads outside their hometown trying to find a place for Alexis to play bingo – just like at the Inn.
And children aren’t the only ones that benefit from the Inn. Parents benefit as well. The Inn helps them unwind, handle their stress and provides them the opportunity to meet other parents. Parents who are experiencing the same pain and uncertainty, and sharing the same optimism and hope. I’d like to share with you the thoughts of one mother who stayed at the Inn while her 16-year-old daughter was a cancer patient. The mother wrote, “The happiness, joy and strength that we found in all the families that we met gave us not only the strength to overcome anything in our path, but the knowledge that, no matter what, we will overcome.”
This is what it’s all about folks. What could possibly be greater than what this Inn is doing for children and their families? And it’s all happening right here on the campus of the National Institutes for Health.
The Inn’s special emphasis on caring for not only the child, but for that child’s entire family, can truly make the difference in the life of the family and the child facing a serious or life-threatening illness. The Children’s Inn at NIH is a great example of a place that truly combines health with human service. I am so proud to be a part of it.
I congratulate all of you, and now I invite Dr. Zerhouni and Dr. Sheares, Cokie, Dr. Pizzo, Debbie Dingell, Kayrn Frist, and especially Scott and all the children who are residents at the Inn, to join me on stage to cut the ribbon.
Last Revised: May 11, 2004
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