Nets Announce Partnership with Hospital for Special Surgery

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—February 20, 2007

The Nets have named Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) as the team’s official hospital. The new partnership will provide the Nets with access to one of the world’s leading centers for orthopedics and sports medicine.  With this new partnership, the Nets have officially named two HSS physicians as their team physicians.

Riley J. Williams, III, M.D., a specialist in the field of shoulder, knee and elbow surgery, serves as head team physician.  A member of the Sports Medicine Service, Dr. Williams is also director of the Institute for Cartilage Repair at HSS. Dr. Williams has served as associate team physician for both the New York Mets and New York Giants.

David W. Altchek, M.D., co-chief of the Sports Medicine Service at HSS, will serve as medical director for the Nets. An attending orthopedic surgeon at HSS, Dr. Altchek serves as medical director for the New York Mets.

“This partnership will assure that the Nets receive the best medical care available,” said Nets CEO Brett Yormark. “We are thrilled to team with Hospital for Special Surgery and to be under the coverage of Dr. Williams and Dr. Altchek.”

“The Nets are a terrific organization and Hospital for Special Surgery appreciates the opportunity to work with them to provide medical coverage that will help maintain a healthy team as well as the recovery of injured players,” Dr. Williams said.

The Sports Medicine Service at HSS is dedicated to treating athletic injuries and is one of the largest, most active, most highly respected departments in athletic medicine today. Its physicians are experts in advanced surgical techniques, including many that were pioneered at Special Surgery.

The Nets have now joined an elite group of professional sports teams and organizations that utilize HSS physicians and athletic trainers.  This group includes the New York Mets, the New York Giants, the New York Knicks, the National Retired Basketball Players Association and the Major League Baseball Players Alumni.  In addition, HSS sports medicine specialists have provided medical coverage for many athletic events and have served on the U.S. Olympic Committee medical staff team that covered the 2004 Games in Athens.

“It is an honor to be selected as the official hospital for the Nets,” said Louis A. Shapiro, president and chief executive officer at HSS.  “Our physicians have a long history of providing high quality patient care to professional athletes, and this partnership reinforces HSS’s renowned leadership in sports medicine.”

Recently HSS was ranked #1 for orthopedics in New York Magazine’s inaugural Best Hospitals issue.  The magazine also ranked HSS first in several subspecialty categories including knee surgery, spine surgery and hip replacement.