HSS Leading Efforts on Sports Safety Across the Nation

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The top-ranked orthopedic hospital is expanding efforts to improve sports-related wellness nationwide, focusing its vast experience in treating injuries on developing programs that help young athletes avoid them. Approximately 28 million children and adolescents participate in organized sports each year in the United States.

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), ranked #1 in the nation for orthopedics for the past nine consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report, and the Aspen Institute have extended and expanded their collaboration to explore and provide safety strategies and guidelines for children. Working together through the Institute's Sports & Society Program and its Project Play initiative, the two organizations will research and develop evidence-based projects and provide content for communities, health and education leaders and parents.

HSS is now the exclusive sponsor of the Sports & Society Program in both the musculoskeletal medical/surgical service and the hospital categories.

"It is important for HSS to apply our knowledge to reduce the risk of injury and promote healthy, lifelong lifestyles for everyone, especially our children," said Louis A. Shapiro, president and CEO at HSS. "As a leader in musculoskeletal health, it is our responsibility and privilege to help renovate the role of healthcare in our society by harnessing our knowledge to serve broader populations."

Last year, HSS teamed up with the Aspen Institute to develop their Healthy Sport Index which is the nation's first-ever tool that assesses the benefits and risks of participating in the most popular sports for high school students ? all based on data and expert insights.

"We are aligned with the Sports & Society Program's mission to convene leaders, foster dialogue and inspire solutions that focus on the development of healthy children and communities," said Laura Robbins, DSW, senior vice president, HSS Education Institute. "Since 2015, our HSS Sports Safety Program has been working to keep young athletes in the game by providing educational courses to help prevent injuries. Healthy communities begin with healthy children."

About HSS | Hospital for Special Surgery
HSS is the world's leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the ninth consecutive year) and No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2018-2019). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has one of the lowest infection rates in the country and was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center four consecutive times. The global standard total knee replacement was developed at HSS in 1969. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State. In 2017 HSS provided care to 135,000 patients and performed more than 32,000 surgical procedures. People from all 50 U.S. states and 80 countries travelled to receive care at HSS. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. The HSS Global Innovation Institute was formed in 2016 to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The culture of innovation is accelerating at HSS as 130 new idea submissions were made to the Global Innovation Institute in 2017 (almost 3x the submissions in 2015). The HSS Education Institute is the world's leading provider of education on the topic of musculoskeletal health, with its online learning platform offering more than 600 courses to more than 21,000 medical professional members worldwide. Through HSS Global Ventures, the institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally.

About Aspen Institute and Project Play
The Aspen Institute is a nonpartisan forum for values-based leadership and the exchange of ideas. Based in Washington, DC, the Institute also has campuses in Aspen, CO, and on the Wye River in eastern Maryland, and maintains offices in New York City and several other cities. An initiative of the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program, Project Play develops, applies and shares knowledge that helps stakeholders build healthy communities through sports.

SOURCE Hospital for Special Surgery