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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, September 16, 2004
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CONTACT:
Don Ralbovsky
Bonnie Kinney
301-496-5787 |
NIH Opens New Clinical Research Hospital
| What: |
The National Institutes of Health will open a new hospital
totally dedicated to clinical research on Wednesday, September
22. The Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center will provide
a unique opportunity for clinicians, scientists, and patients
to study and conquer both chronic and acute disease in the
21st century. This new 870,000-square-foot facility will connect
to the existing NIH Clinical Center, which opened its doors
to patients in 1953. In the 50 years since its opening, NIH
has worked in partnership with more than 350,000 participants
in clinical studies from every state in the U.S. and from
around the world. Some advances include:
- First cure of a solid tumor with chemotherapy
- First chemotherapy for childhood leukemia and Hodgkin’s disease
- Discovery of evidence of a genetic component in schizophrenia
- First use of nitroglycerin for acute myocardial infarction
- First use of hydroxyurea to treat
sickle cell anemia
- First gene therapy
- First successful replacement of a mitral valve
- First use of AZT to treat AIDS
- Development of screening tests for AIDS and hepatitis, which reduced the
transmission rate of transfusion-transmitted hepatitis from
30 percent to near zero
More than 1,000 clinical studies will be conducted in the
Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center. The promise of
prospective cures energizes scientists, clinicians, and patients
today no less than in previous decades. This new hospital
will continue to set the pace for developing the most promising
medical advances, providing a synthesis of medical knowledge
to radically improve human health. The proximity of labs,
equipment, and patient care units in the new hospital will
help to rapidly move biomedical laboratory findings into the
mainstream of medical practice — carrying on the "bench-to-bedside"
tradition of the original NIH Clinical Center. |
| When: |
Wednesday, September 22, 2004, 10:30 a.m. |
| Where: |
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland |
| Who: |
Senior officials, researchers, and patients will be available
to discuss the importance of this new hospital and the impact
it will have, and to relay personal stories of triumph.
Former Senator Mark O. Hatfield will be honored at this
special event and also provide remarks.
- Tommy G. Thompson - Secretary, Department of
Health and Human Services
- Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. - Director, National
Institutes of Health
- John I. Gallin, M.D. - Director, NIH Clinical
Center
- U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young - Chairman, Committee
on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives
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| Note to Editors: |
Reporters interested in covering the Clinical Research Center
opening event are encouraged to take metro to the Medical
Center stop (Red Line). A "CRC Event" shuttle will be available
from the Medical Center stop to the front of the Clinical
Research Center. Press credentials are mandatory. Press should
enter at the Press Only Entrance, located at the front of
the Clinical Research Center. Public affairs staff will register
TV crews and reporters and distribute press kits, B-roll,
and other materials. B-roll is available in English and Spanish.
Highlights include NIH leaders, patient stories, aerial shots,
and architectural footage. For television crews or reporters
who wish to drive, please call the NIH Office of Communications
at (301) 496-5787. For more information, visit the CRC press
room at http://www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/crc/pressroom.html
or call (301) 496-5787. |
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