Measuring The Inn’s Effectiveness

The Children’s Inn at NIH has provided “A Place Like Home” for the more than 12,000 children and families who have stayed at The Inn since it opened in 1990.  In order to see if they were meeting the needs of families and ensure that resources are applied in the most optimal way, The Inn launched a strategic evaluation plan last year to demonstrate mission impact and organizational effectiveness. 

The first part of the strategic plan was a family survey. From June to September 2013, caregivers and patients over the age of 18 were asked to complete a survey designed to guage why they chose the NIH for treatment, how The Inn impacted their emotional, social, and financial well being, and what programs and services were particularly beneficial.  

The survey results revealed that:

• without The Inn, families would have trouble coming to the NIH for treatment due to housing costs;
• anxiety levels were reported to have decreased for both the caregiver and child during their stay at The Inn; and
• families appreciated the wide array of programs and activities offered.

The Children’s Inn at NIH now has concrete data to show that they are meeting the goals of their mission.  This information will be used to continue to improve current services and meet teh changing needs of patients and families.

This information was extracted from a section of The Inn’s Spring 2014 Newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, click here.