Dedication ceremonies for the Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, were held on Wednesday, September 22, 2004. The facility is home to new inpatient units, day hospitals and research labs that connect to the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center, which opened its doors to patients in 1953. The 870,000 square foot Hatfield center opened to patients in 2005 with 242 inpatient beds and 90 day-hospital stations. Together, the Magnuson and Hatfield centers form the NIH Clinical Center, the world's largest clinical research complex, serving a dual role: providing humane and healing patient care as well as the environment clinical researchers need to advance clinical science.
- A videocast of the dedication ceremonies held on Sept. 22, 2004, is available.
- Photos - Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center
- Photos - Dedication Ceremony Held on Sept. 22, 2004.
- Mark O. Hatfield Research Center booklet
Biographies:
Dedication Ceremony Program Sept. 22, 2004
Fast facts from when the building was dedicated Sept. 22, 2004
How it Began:
At the request of Congress, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) convened an external advisory committee to conduct an in-depth review of NIH's intramural science research program. That committee strongly endorses the research program and recommends the immediate revitalization of the Clinical Center through construction of a new 242-bed hospital, followed by the phased renovation of the existing Clinical Center.
The Purpose:
A new hospital was deemed necessary to replace the aging original facility, whose infrastructure was no longer adequate for cutting-edge research and patient care. The Clinical Research Center will continue to promote translational research (transforming laboratory research into applications that benefit of patient health and medical care). The proximity of labs, equipment, and patient care units in the new CRC 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.
Congressional Authorization: Congress authorized the design of the new hospital in 1996 and the actual construction in 1997.
Named in Honor of: Former Senator Mark O. Hatfield of Oregon, who supported medical research throughout his Congressional career.
Size:
- 870,000 gross square feet
- 620,000 gross square feet of hospital space
- 250,000 gross square feet of laboratory and vivarium space
Number of Inpatient Beds: 242
Number of Outpatient Day Hospitals: 90
Height: Seven stories high
Groundbreaking Date: November 1997
Construction Began: January 1999
Construction Completion: August 2004
Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony: Sept. 22, 2004