A smiling healthcare worker in a red shirt stands in a clinic doorway while another staff member stands behind him; two seated adults laugh in a waiting area with magazine racks and health posters on the wall.

On the first Friday of every month, the Neurology Clinic on the third floor of The Vanderbilt Clinic is completely transformed. There’s a lively atmosphere, with food and music, and, most importantly, a sympathetic care team composed of every imaginable discipline. This transformation is made for the benefit of patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.