Honoring the 150th Anniversary of Hospital for Special Surgery

Congressional Record 113th Congress (2013-2014)—April 24, 2013

Hon. Carolyn B. Maloney of New York in the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to recognize the 150th anniversary of Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), which will be celebrated on May 1, 2013. The hospital, which is located in my district on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, was established in 1863 as a 28-bed hospital for children with severe disabilities and has grown to become an international leader in orthopedics and rheumatology for children and adults. It has been ranked #1 in the country for orthopedics for three consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report and has been among the top ranked hospitals in orthopedics and rheumatology for 22 consecutive years. Through its long and successful history, HSS has always maintained its specialized focus on improving patients' quality of life and getting them back to work and leisure. Today, the skilled medical staff at HSS perform some 27,000 surgeries each year, helping patients from across the United States and around the world maintain active lives.

Demand for the hospital's services has almost doubled in the past six years, and I am confident that this trend will accelerate as people of all ages live more actively than ever before. People travel far and wide for the unsurpassed level of care provided by the hospital--in 2012, patients came from every state and 90 countries. HSS physicians are the official team doctors for the New York Giants, New York Mets, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, New York Liberty, and New York Red Bulls. Despite these high-profile relationships, everyday athletes and non-athletes are treated the same as elite athletes at the hospital.

HSS nurses have been widely recognized for their excellence and caring. In 2012, Hospital for Special Surgery became the first hospital in New York State to earn Magnet Recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center--the nation's highest honor for nursing excellence for the third consecutive time.

In addition to outstanding clinical care, HSS conducts research that directly improves the lives of people with arthritis, mobility disorders, severe injuries, and autoimmune diseases. For example, in the 1970s a team of HSS surgeons and engineers pioneered the first modern total knee implant, called the total condylar knee, which led the way for millions of people with advanced knee arthritis to live active lives with limited pain. More recently, the modular shoulder replacement and other significant HSS implant designs improved the lives of so many more. HSS scientists continue to make breakthrough discoveries about the causes of autoimmune diseases, providing exciting new opportunities for drug therapies.

Building on a rich legacy of pioneering achievement in the fields of orthopedics and rheumatology, HSS will meet the future with the same unwavering commitment to fulfill its mission in patient care, research, and education it has exhibited in the last 150 years. HSS is dedicated to finding new solutions to improve the lives of patients by striving for the highest levels of quality, making discoveries in the laboratory, pursuing innovative technologies, and training physicians who will influence and lead the fields of orthopedics and rheumatology around the world.

Hospital for Special Surgery's unique culture of excellence and dedication to patients continues to be its strength, and will ensure its success in the future. I congratulate the hospital on this important anniversary and invite Members to join me in extending appreciation for its past, present, and future accomplishments.

Story originally published at thomas.loc.gov.