Merck Foundation gifts $14M for children’s facility expansion
Summary
Thirty-five years ago, Merck gifted $3.7 million to build The Childrens Inn at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. Now, the charitable arm of the Rahway-headquartered company has awarded a $14 million grant to support the facilitys renovation and expansion.The Childrens Inn at NIH is a private, nonprofit facility for children and their families participating in pediatric research at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. I am incredibly proud of Mercks longstanding commitment to supporting The Inns remarkable work to ease suffering and improve the lives of thousands of families from around the world every year.Since opening in 1990, more than 16,000 families from around the country and the world have stayed at The Inn during clinical trials.Mercks five-year grant will go toward the renovation project, called The Inn of Tomorrow, supported by an overall $50 million capital campaign. The gift from Merck will fund the construction of a new respiratory isolation wing to protect young patients with weakened immune systems due to treatment for rare diseases.Additionally, Mercks grant will contribute to other components of the project, including a new front entrance and lobby, the modernization of guest rooms and updates to the infrastructure in the existing building.Construction on the project is scheduled to start in winter 2024. When completed in 2027, The Inn will be able to serve 1,700 families each year expanding its capacity by about 200 families per year, according to NIH.In September 2022, the Merck Foundation launched a $20 million initiative in an effort to make cancer care equal for all.