Hospital for Special Surgery Receives Excellence in Spiritual Care Award from HealthCare Chaplaincy Network

New York, NY—July 28, 2015

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) has received the Excellence in Spiritual Care Award from the HealthCare Chaplaincy Network™ (HCCN). Special Surgery received the award at a ceremony at the hospital on July 27.

"This award signifies that your hospital is committed to identifying and optimally addressing your patients’ spiritual and religious needs," said Jose Hernandez, Chief Operating Officer of HealthCare Chaplaincy Network. "It is an honor to name Hospital for Special Surgery as the first recipient in the country to be recognized with this prestigious award."

"We know that many of our patients’ spiritual and religious needs are as important as their physical ones, making chaplaincy fundamental to the hospital’s pursuit of health care excellence," said Louis A. Shapiro, HSS president and CEO. "I would like to thank the HealthCare Chaplaincy Network for this award and for inspiring us all to continue to integrate spiritual care into our health care practices for the comfort and benefit of all who choose HSS as their leading orthopedic and rheumatology hospital."

In applying for the award, health care institutions undergo a thorough and detailed process to determine if their organization currently provides excellent spiritual care.

There are 15 proprietary Standards of Excellence in Spiritual Care that HCCN has identified in the professional literature and through its extensive 50-plus year history as providers of spiritual care.

To receive the award, an organization must meet at least eight of the 15 standards, which include employing an interdisciplinary approach to spiritual care, engaging in quality improvement projects, and the strategic deployment of chaplaincy care resources.