We are delighted to announce the appointments of Mr. Edouard Benjamin and Mr. Jeffrey Vigne to our Board of Directors.

Mr. Edouard “Ed” Benjamin, Jr.
Vice President of the Health and Human Services Division at Leidos .

“I am excited, inspired and humbled to join the Board and to participate in service to patients,” Mr. Benjamin said. “Supporting patients and their families is important to me, as I reflect on my own memories witnessing the devastating pain and suffering of Sickle-Cell Disease in my family. As an industry partner of NIH over many years, I am committed to working with all stakeholders in support of Friends of Patients at NIH’s mission.”

Jeffrey L. Vigne
Executive Vice President
Exeter ITS, a PingWind Company

“I am extremely honored and proud to return to the Friends’ Board of Directors. The organization provides a valuable resource to so many individuals and families who receive care while in clinical trials at the NIH.”

Because of your support, in 2022, Friends of Patients at the NIH provided:

• 1,468 nights of no-cost lodging to 35 patients and their caregivers in our four local apartments; (We added that fourth apartment in July allowing us to expand our impact going forward!)
• 96 patients and their families with stipends to help cover their rent, utility, and mortgage payments while patients and caregivers may be out of work.
• Grocery gift cards to 26 patients and their families to help cover groceries during their time in treatment.
• Patients with medical devices not covered by the clinical trial, but vital for treatment such as portable oxygen machines, hearing aids and specialized orthotics.
• 420 meals for patients and caregivers through our Safra Lodge Sunday Supper program.
• Travel assistance to patients and caregivers for national and international flights.

In October we brought back our annual Friends Night Out celebration and had the opportunity to present our Hope Award to Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Francis Collins, both joined us in-person to accept our awards. We were delighted that they held our organization in such high esteem and graced us with their public appearance on our behalf.

In 2023, we look forward to continuing the growth of our programs:

• Adding more apartments to help cover our ongoing housing wait list for cancer and sickle cell transplant patients.
• Expanding our ability to provide transportation, basic needs such as meals, warm clothing, rent, utilities and emotional support to patients and their caregivers.
• In April we will kick off our new Patient Wellness program – A “wellness wagon” service called “Fridays with Ana & Friends” to deliver comfort items, snacks, art supplies, games, and puzzles to patients to help alleviate the feelings of isolation during their hospital stay.

Be sure to join us for upcoming events and check our website for updates on our patient care programs!

Spring is just around the corner and we are excited to host our 15th Annual Charity Golf Tournament!

REGISTER TODAY!

Online registration for the Friend’s of Patients at the NIH’s annual golf tournament, Monday, April 24th is open.

Join us for a beautiful day of golf, fun contests, great food and beverages, special guest speakers and most of all…a wonderful way to support our vital charity! All proceeds support NIH patients and their families.

Honored to announce our special guest speaker Mr. Alastair Thomson

Mr. Alastair Thomson serves as Chief Information Officer and Director of the Information Technology and Applications Center at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Bethesda, MD and co-lead of the NHLBI BioData Catalyst Program. We are delighted that Mr. Thomson will be one of our special guest speakers!

If you missed our 2022 event…please be sure to sign up early as we expect to sell out this year due to popular demand!

Several sponsorship levels are available and you can join as an individual or a corporate team.

For sponsorship information or if you have any questions please contact Heidi Williams at heidi@friendsatnih.org.

Join us in wishing a fond farewell to our Friend and partner in HOPE…
Dr. Anthony Fauci
Thank you for your lifelong dedication to science, finding cures and giving HOPE to patients across our nation and around the world.

View the video to hear inspiring words from Dr. Fauci as he received Friends at NIH’s HOPE award.