Friends of Patients at the NIH

Patient Support Services - Friends at NIH provides hope by giving emotional and financial support to patients receiving ground breaking and life saving treatment at the Clinical Center. Friends at NIH helps patients cover their essential needs so that they can focus on recovery. This includes the provision of shelter near the Clinical Center during treatment and assistance with housing costs, support system for patient families and caregivers to enable them to travel to and from the Clinical Center and an allowance to cover meals, utilities, patient insurance, medical and non-medical expenses, long-term patient housing, and other costs incurred during the patients stay at the Clinical Center. RP Awareness and Support - Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by recurrent widespread inflammation of different body areas, in particularly, cartilage. Friends at NIH has partnered with the relapsing Polychondritis Awareness and Support Foundation to raise money to provide travel and lodging for patients receiving treatment for this disease.