Programs for the Community

1. PUBLIC AND PATIENT EDUCATION
2. ASSISTING ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE
3. HELPING PEOPLE WITH LUPUS
4. CARING FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES
5. IMPROVING HEALTH AMONG OLDER ADULTS
6. REACHING PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS
7. PREVENTING AND REDUCING OSTEOPOROSIS

PUBLIC AND PATIENT EDUCATION

To increase knowledge and promote healthier lifestyles, Special Surgery is dedicated to designing, implementing, and evaluating state-of-the-art programs and services aimed at reaching local, national, and international communities. The Public and Patient Education Advisory Committee—a major interdisciplinary group drawn from all quarters—ensures alignment and synergy between public and patient education and all aspects of the Hospital. The Committee’s strategic planning process sets the institution wide goals and improves organizational planning and effectiveness.

Special Surgery collaborates on research and public education initiatives to develop innovative approaches to meet community needs. The institution is responding to the recognized crisis of obesity in young children, which has long-term implications on musculoskeletal development, mobility, and health. In 2006, HSS and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical College worked on the American Ballroom Theater & Nutrition Education Study titled, The Impact of a School based Ballroom Dance and Nutrition Program on the Physical Activity Level and Behavior of School Age Children. Led by research results, Special Surgery develops effective outreach programs to serve communities to improve public health, similar to the institution’s groundbreaking Pediatric Outreach Program (POP), which brings orthopedic screenings to underserved neighborhoods through New York City schools.

Upcoming public and patient education symposiums, classes, workshops, lectures, and support groups sponsored by Hospital for Special Surgery's Public and Patient Education Department are listed on the Calendar of Events: From Education to Empowerment (pdf) program brochure, which describes classes, programs, and lectures scheduled by the Education Division and published twice a year. Special events highlight significant topics of general interest. A two-part workshop series educated the public about the new food pyramid guidelines and stressed the importance of good nutrition, particularly calcium consumption. Another program, a collaboration within Special Surgery that involved Special Surgery’s Barbara Volcker Center for Women and Rheumatic Diseases, Public and Patient Education, and other departments, presented a two-part program focusing on the latest information on Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome, or APS, for 81 participants.

Community outreach and education for community-based organizations, government agencies, and senior health centers is supported through speaker’s bureau programs covering topics on nutrition, arthritis, lupus, and how to maximize mobility.

HealthConnection: Your Good Health Newsletter continues to offer exceptional consumer health information. To obtain more information on any of these programs, please call the Education Division at 212.606.1057 or email education@hss.edu.

HSS offers a schedule of public education programs, private classes, and complementary medicine treatments under the supervision of HSS physicians and staff through the Integrative Care Center (ICC). An HSS affiliate, the ICC combines academic medicine with complementary and alternative techniques such as acupuncture, yoga, and massage therapy. The ICC is located at 635 Madison Avenue location, between 59th and 60th Streets in Manhattan. For information about events and classes call 212.224.7900.

The HSS web site offers the latest information on musculoskeletal care and research. HSS.edu also presents a wealth of information concerning osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, osteoporosis, and other musculoskeletal conditions. HSS also distributes information to a wide array of news media to inform the public about developments in the Hospital’s areas of expertise.

ASSISTING ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE

The HSS Manage Your Care-VOICES (MYC-VOICES) program, offered by the Division of Patient Care and Quality Management, helps patients to access entitlements and other resources to help them better manage their healthcare and improve the quality of their lives. Social workers and trained volunteers provide advocacy services, education and community referrals, focusing on low income patients with chronic rheumatic illnesses and orthopedic conditions. The Medicaid Managed Care Education component of the program provides bilingual information, both face-to-face and with written materials, to assist patients in understanding their options under Medicaid managed care and empower them to maintain continued access to healthcare.

VOICES 60+ Senior Advocacy Program, made possible by a grant from the Jesse Ball duPont Fund, is especially designed to assist HSS patients 60 and older, with arthritis and related conditions to access services and support to improve their quality of life and enhance their medical care experience. The program helps patients to negotiate government programs and the healthcare system, including Social Security, Medicare, and homecare, and assists with emotional and family concerns. Contact VOICES 60+ by calling 212.774.7072.

HELPING PEOPLE WITH LUPUS

HSS is a center for care and support of people with lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus-SLE) a chronic and life-threatening autoimmune disease that can inflame joints and attack major organs, setting a patient’s body on a course of destroying its own healthy tissues, and is a pioneer in lupus research. Nine times out of ten lupus strikes women, who usually develop the disease between the ages of 15 and 45—Asians, African Americans, and Latina women are two-to-four times more likely to have lupus than Caucasian women. HSS’s initiatives to reach people with lupus help bring much needed specialized support and education to people who are traditionally underserved. Visit Lupus Programs for information on the following programs:

LupusLine®, begun in 1988, is the only national telephone peer support program offering one-to-one emotional support and information to people with lupus; the program links people who need the service with trained volunteers who have lupus or are a family member of someone with lupus. Hospital for Special Surgery’s LupusLine program, made possible through funding by Rheuminations, Inc., reaches out to communities we seek to serve in cooperation with the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation. To access this telephone peer counseling support and education program, call 866.375.1427 toll-free.

Support for Spanish Speakers

Charla de Lupus/Lupus Chat, also made possible through funding by Rheuminations, Inc., is the only national program offering people with lupus and their families peer health education and support in both English and Spanish, bringing services to the underserved Latino and African-American communities. The initiative also targets Spanish media—radio and print—to raise awareness of available services. The program consists of:

Charla Line: Offers one-to-one contact through the program’s national support and education to adults, teens, and children living with lupus—as well as to family members—through its toll-free number.

On-site at community clinics: One-to-one contact is available on site at various rheumatology clinics in NYC. In addition to working at HSS, the program is onsite at Mount Sinai Medical Center (since 1996), and NY Presbyterian – Columbia Campus (since 1999), where it provides peer education to underserved Latino and African American adults, teens, and children.

Charla Teen and Parent Lupus Chat Groups: Monthly community-based groups conducted in English and Spanish, the only service of this kind offered in the metropolitan area, has been providing support for the last six years.

Community and Professional Outreach: Information presented at community, educational and faith-based organizations, health fairs and public events, as well as medical schools and health clinics.

Award-Winning Teen Booklet: For Inquiring Teens with Lupus: Our Thoughts, Issues & Concerns (pdf) provides information written by a young woman diagnosed with lupus as a teen, as well as a list of available resources geared to young people, and is available free of charge. A 2006 printing of the original 2003 booklet made possible by Rheuminations, Inc. was generously supported by the Victor B. and Hilda Handal Pediatric Holiday fund and an anonymous donor. In 2006, the booklet was also translated into Chinese in collaboration with the Hong Kong Arthritis & Rheumatism Association, and the Hong Kong Pediatric Rheumatism Association.

For information about Charla de Lupus in English or Spanish call 866.812.4494 toll free.

Reaching the Asian-American Community

LANtern™ (Lupus Asian Network) is the only lupus peer health education program that targets the Chinese population, the largest Asian ethnic subgroup in New York City. Since lupus is two to three times as prevalent among Asian women as it is among Caucasian women and the disease is little known in the Asian-American community, LANtern brings essential psychosocial and medical resources to Asian Americans confronting lupus. LANtern’s specially trained volunteers—who have lupus themselves—are bilingual in English and either Cantonese or Mandarin. LANtern offers peer counseling via telephone, as well as community education and media outreach. Hospital for Special Surgery’s LANtern Program, made possible through funding by Rheuminations, Inc., reaches out to the Asian community in cooperation with the following organizations: The S.L.E. Lupus Foundation, Charles B. Wang Community Health Center, Chinese Community Partnership for Health at New York Downtown Hospital, Hospital for Joint Diseases, and Center for the Study of Asian American Health at NYU School of Medicine.

The following materials are available: bilingual information includes, Lupus: Myths & Facts and Talking About Lupus (pdf) and What Chinese-Americans and Their Families Should Know About Lupus; Chinese language edition of HSS’s brochure designed for teens, For Inquiring Teens with Lupus: Our Thoughts, Issues & Concerns (pdf). To reach the LANtern program, call 866.505.2253 toll free.

Workshop Supports Families

June 2006 marked the 21st anniversary of the SLE Workshop, which meets monthly (September to June) at HSS for individuals with lupus and their families and friends. The workshop provides information from experts—many from HSS faculty—on a variety of lupus-related topics. Participants report that attending the free workshop helps them to understand their illness, communicate with their doctors, and cope emotionally with the effects of lupus. Monthly mailings and a newsletter help keep participants involved and informed about future meetings.

The HSS web site reaches people who are unable to attend the workshops and other meetings by presenting the latest research, treatment developments, workshop summaries and patients’ accounts of how they cope with the challenge of lupus. Visit Lupus Programs for more program summaries and articles.

CARING FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES

HSS treats many chronically ill children through its Department of Pediatrics and clinics in Pediatric Lupus, Pediatric Orthopedics, and Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis.  The Hospital is an established leader in the treatment of cerebral palsy, osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease), familial dysautonomia (a rare genetic disease that results in serious bone and growth problems), spina bifida, congenital dislocation of the hip, club foot, scoliosis, and acute fractures. HSS’s Pediatric Social Work/Case Management Services brings the services of a pediatric social worker to assist children and families to coordinate patient care, providing families with help and information. Through the Child Life Program, the Hospital eases children’s fears and creates a family-friendly supportive setting through recreational activities for young patients, siblings and family members, one-to-one bedside activities for hospitalized children, outings to cultural and sports events, and holiday parties. To help give young patients and their families a way to express their experiences, HSS publishes SPECIAL KIDS, a newsletter comprised solely of articles, drawings, and poems by pediatric patients who receive treatment at HSS. An ongoing relationship with the Starlight/Starbright Foundation grants the wishes of many pediatric patients for computers, trips, and meetings with celebrities that otherwise would be unattainable.

HSS Screens Children in Underserved Communities

Hospital for Special Surgery’s Pediatric Outreach Program (POP) screens public school children in some of New York City’s poorest neighborhoods for musculoskeletal and primary health needs. The free program, the first of its kind, sends highly trained orthopedic teams from HSS into schools and day care centers in Harlem, the Bronx, the Lower East Side, and Chinatown and screens hundreds of children yearly for scoliosis, leg length discrepancies, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, in toeing and out-toeing, and other musculoskeletal problems. School-based screenings also occurred monthly through continued cooperation with the New York City Department of Health (NYCDOH), since NYCDOH nurses and physicians staff New York City schools where screenings are conducted. Networking efforts with New York University College of Dentistry, Mount Sinai Medical Center, and NYPH provide for these institutions to receive POP referrals as well. In 2006, 519 children were screened, bringing the total number examined for musculoskeletal disease and injuries since the program’s inception in 1987 to more than 22,000. Primary health care issues, particularly suspected child abuse and parental neglect, are of paramount concern for screening teams, and POP’s child abuse protocol is followed during screening to effectively handle suspected cases.

The program also educates children and adults about bone, muscle, and joint health. POP bilingual pediatric education staff coordinate the logistics of each screening, manage the care of children referred for orthopedic and rheumatological follow-up care and medical needs, and continue to foster relationships in Spanish- and Chinese-speaking communities in New York City to bring the screening services to those who need it most. POP continued its strong collaboration with the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center (CBWCHC), located in the heart of New York City’s Chinatown to meet the growing community need. In 2003, Citigroup awarded POP the second of two five-year grants to help facilitate the establishment of the CBWCHC clinic.

Recognizing that obesity is an epidemic in New York City—more than 40 percent of Head Start children are overweight or obese—POP, in collaboration with Special Surgery’s Department of Public and Patient Education, began providing bilingual nutrition education to those schools that have children identified as high-risk for obesity. The Hospital’s innovative SNEAKER© (Super Nutrition for All Kids to Eat Right) brings life lessons on nutrition and exercise to children reaching young people through child-centered and culturally relevant activities. Through SNEAKER, children learn how to increase calcium input, and switch from sugary to fiber-rich foods and snacks. For more information about POP, contact the Education Division at 212.606.1057.

Pediatric Health Care Coalition Resource Manual

Concern for the City’s children involves the Hospital in the Pediatric Health Care Coalition, a consortium of health care and service professionals from a wide variety of institutions that serve New York City’s children and adolescents. The Coalition advocates for pediatric health, improved health care access, and is an educational source for professionals and the public. It also serves as a medical referral network for its members. The Coalition comprises 33 members representing 27 organizations.

In 2006, the organization published the 13th edition of the Pediatric Health Care Coalition Manual, a resource guide that includes information on New York City hospitals, insurance programs, foundations, and programs that provide free- and low-cost health care for children. The manual is widely distributed to Coalition members, their networks, and the public, along with NYC public schools in Manhattan and the Bronx. Information is also available online, Pediatric Education Programs, or by calling 212.606.1057.

IMPROVING HEALTH AMONG OLDER ADULTS

Education Programs

HSS’s Public and Patient Education Department offers lectures, workshops and information specifically tailored to the concerns of older adults. For example, Special Surgery hosted the 13th National Annual Senior Health and Fitness Day providing lectures and information on aging, nutrition, preventing osteoporosis, along with exercise classes. Together with the New York State Office for the Aging, the Department worked to raise public awareness of osteoporosis prevention and treatment among people 60 years and over. As a member of the East Side Council on the Aging (ESCOTA), the Department works with other organizations, such as NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s Health Outreach program, to connect to older New Yorkers. A speaker’s bureau brings experts to locations around the City to present programs on pain management, diet and exercise, osteoporosis, arthritis, and advancements in surgical techniques.  To learn more about programs, such as the annual National Senior Health and Fitness Day, call the Education Division at 212.606.1057.

Greenberg Academy for Successful Aging

As the population ages, the impact of musculoskeletal diseases increases dramatically; Special Surgery has long focused on the needs of older people and on strategies to maintain musculoskeletal health and mobility in older persons.

In July 2001, HSS’s Education Division and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital’s (NYPH) Irving Sherwood Wright Center on Aging launched a wide-ranging collaborative project to provide health education information to the older adult community (age 65 and over) to help improve their physical and mental well being. This joint effort, named the Greenberg Academy for Successful Aging, offers health education programs and exercise classes for older adults. To help older people maintain or improve their activity level, the Academy offered two arthritis intervention programs—People with Arthritis Can Exercise (PACE) and Spanish Arthritis Self-Help Course (ASHC), funded by a grant from the NYSDOH, were made available.

In 2006, the Greenberg Academy hosted a Senior Health Fair that attracted 150 participants for health screenings, informational programs, and referral services. At an off-site event, the Greenberg Academy shared its expertise to reach a broader public through a collaboration with Special Surgery at a Senior Fair outreach program sponsored by Assemblyman Jonathan Bing. Nearly 800 people attended the event’s wide-ranging program of lectures, workshops, and exercise classes.

The Wright Center is located at 1484 First Avenue between 77th and 78th Streets in Manhattan. For further information call the Education Division at 212.606.1057.

REACHING PEOPLE WITH CHRONIC MUSCULOSKELETAL CONDITIONS

Support for People with Rheumatoid Arthritis

HSS strives to help patients with chronic illness and their families. The Hospital presents joint lectures and courses with the Arthritis Foundation-New York Chapter. The Division of Patient Care and Quality Management, in collaboration with the Division of Rheumatology, presents an ongoing, free monthly education and support program for HSS patients with severe Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) called Living with RA. Now, in its ninth year, the program features RA-related lectures presented by professionals from many disciplines followed by a support group, which is co-facilitated by a licensed social worker and the Nurse Manager of Rheumatology, allowing participants to share experiences about coping with this illness. For additional information, call 212.774.2539. To reach people with RA who are unable to attend but whom are interested in the information provided by the program, summaries of lectures are posted on the HSS web site. Selected RA-related lectures are also presented to the community.

Assistance for People with Scleroderma

Scleroderma is a chronic autoimmune disease of the connective tissue generally classified as one of the rheumatic diseases affecting an estimated 300,000 persons in the U.S., approximately four times more women than men develop the disease. A joint effort between HSS and the Scleroderma Foundation/Tri-State Chapter offers a monthly New York City Scleroderma Support Group for people coping with this long-term painful condition. In 2006, HSS worked with the Foundation of the Annual Research Forum, where more than 100 participants came to learn the latest in research. To learn more, access Education and Support Programs & Services or call 212.606.1057.

Myositis Support Group

The Hospital’s Department of Patient Care and Quality Management and the Rheumatology Division offer the only support group in the New York metropolitan area for people with myositis, a rare chronic disease causing profound muscle weakness.  The Myositis Education and Support Program's mission is to enhance coping, reduce isolation, and increase understanding of the inflammatory myopathies (polymyositis, dermatomyositis, and inclusion body myositis) through creating a community for those affected by this rare illness. Now in its ninth year, the group meets monthly for guest lectures by medical professionals and informal discussions facilitated by a social worker.  Family and friends are welcome.  Contributions by The Karin Berg Fund help to make the group possible, with refreshments provided by New Age Home Care. HSS has developed a 156-page training manual for facilitators interested in developing a similar support group. For further information, contact the Program Coordinator at 212.774.7623 or go to Education and Support Programs & Services, where selected summaries of the group are available.

PREVENTING AND REDUCING OSTEOPOROSIS

Public Education for All Ages

As a pediatric disease that manifests itself in old age, osteoporosis is a public health concern for all age groups. In 2004, New York State Department of Health once again recognized HSS’s expertise and renewed a grant for another five-year period to implement the New York State Osteoporosis Prevention and Education Program (NYSOPEP), launched in 1997 to reduce the incidence of osteoporosis. HSS serves as the NYSOPEP regional resource center for the greater metropolitan area to develop, implement, and evaluate innovative osteoporosis educational and research initiatives.

A valuable HSS-NYSOPEP Osteoporosis Support Group began to meet monthly at the Hospital, enabling the public participating to learn from HSS healthcare professionals about nutrition, prevention, drugs, treatment options, exercise and psychosocial support. Additionally, HSS NYSOPEP collaborated with many institutions such as Charles B. Wang Community Health Center (CBWCHC), New York City Public Schools, and the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York to reach the public. For example, HSS joined forces with the LANtern™ (Lupus Asian Network) at the Good Health Day Fair at the Charles B. Wang Community Health Center in Chinatown reaching more than 500 people with bilingual information on nutrition and exercise. In connection with the Bone and Joint Health Decade, HSS conducted a day long outreach and education program at the Hospital on how to fight osteoporosis and promote bone health. Information about osteoporosis programs as well as fact sheets in English, Spanish, and Chinese are available by calling 212.606.1057.

Healthy Habits for Young People

HSS, in concert with its partners and New York State, originated a number of initiatives to combat osteoporosis aimed at different age groups, particularly children and adolescents through New York City public schools, community centers, and with the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York (GSCGNY).  One of these, SNEAKER© (Super Nutrition Education for All Kids to Eat Right) aims to prevent osteoporosis and encourage good health by improving calcium consumption and exercise habits in grade school children. (SNEAKER© is a program sponsored by the Indirect Vitamins Purchasers Antitrust Litigation Settlement administered by the New York State Attorney General.) In 2006, HSS continued to collaborate with the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York (GSCGNY) to improve young girls’ nutrition education through the program’s activities, which reached more than 400 scouts. HSS modified the SNEAKER© curriculum to enable students from the Youth Employment Service program at the International Center for Disabilities to participate in a five-week workshop tailored for these adolescents with special needs.

The SNEAKER© Project website, launched in 2006 in recognition of National Nutrition Month®, expanded the program’s reach and involves the public in interactive activities, including submitting their own healthy recipes to be considered for including in upcoming cookbook editions. The SNEAKER© Cookbook, published in English and Spanish, was developed from student submissions and features recipes that include fiber, whole grains, calcium, low sugar and healthy portions. Its healthy and satisfying recipes continued to inspire young people and their families to cook and eat right. This innovative cookbook publication received numerous awards, including the 2006 Communicator Award of Distinction in Print Media. Please call the Education Division at 212.606.1057 for more information.

Further information about the HSS programs and services described can be obtained by contacting Deborah M. Sale, Executive Vice President, External Affairs, Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 East 70th Street, New York, NY 10021, 212.606.1321.