Community Service Plan
Using results from the Community Health Needs Assessment, HSS develops a Community Service Plan (CSP) and implements evidence-based community programs centered around promoting well-being and chronic disease prevention and management.
- Read the new HSS Community Service Plan 2025-2027 (PDF)
- HSS Community Service Plan 2025-2027 Executive Summary (PDF)
This report is prepared in compliance with NYS Public Health Law 2803-1.
Detailed CSP workplan available upon request. Please email communityed@hss.edu.
Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) has been a recognized leader in musculoskeletal medicine for more than a century. We have established an ongoing commitment to both physical and general wellness, patient care, research, professional education, and community programming. As such, HSS conducted a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) in 2022 to identify significant musculoskeletal health concerns currently facing residents in its primary and secondary service areas and ensure they are directly addressed. These identified needs informed the hospital’s 2022 – 2024 Community Service Plan (CSP), a three-year implementation strategy that supports the New York State (NYS) Prevention Agenda 2019-2024 and satisfies the US Internal Revenue Service and the Affordable Care Act requirements for nonprofit hospitals.
HSS’s primary service area consists of the five boroughs of New York City, while its secondary service area is comprised of Hudson Valley, New York; Northern and Central New Jersey; Connecticut; Long Island, New York; and Palm Beach County and Collier County, Florida.
HSS Community Health Needs Assessment was a systematic, data-driven approach to determine the health status, health behaviors and lifestyle, access and use of healthcare, and educational needs of its community.
HSS adopted a four-pronged approach to assessing the musculoskeletal health needs of our community including the needs of medically underserved and low-income populations.
- Collect data: Collect and analyze data from community surveys and local, state, and federal systems to highlight the community’s health needs
- Obtain input: Establish a collaborative environment to obtain community input from HSS stakeholders, community partners, and health agencies serving diverse populations
- Share results and prioritize health needs: Share results and prioritize health needs through community forums
- Implement action plan: Develop and implement an action plan to address identified health needs and disparities
HSS's three-year community service plan will focus on three domains - Social and Community Context, Neighborhood and Built Environment, and Education Access and Quality. To further advance the NYS Health Improvement Plan and align with the state’s priority areas, HSS will implement five programs. Each intervention will adopt evidence-based interventions and promising practices to improve the musculoskeletal health of HSS’s diverse community. Programs are routinely evaluated to determine impact and areas of improvement.
Please click on each program below for more information.
Priority Area 1: Anxiety and Stress
Objective 5.1 5.1
Decrease the percentage of adults in households with an annual income of less than $25,000 who experience frequent mental distress from 21.0% to 18.9%.
CSP strategy 1: Aging with Dignity
- A psychosocial, peer-based support group utilizing group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and creative arts interventions to reduce social isolation, stress, and anxiety, and improve coping skills among older adults.
CSP strategy 2: Rheumatology Wellness Initiative
- Community-based and patient-centered psychoeducational programs focused on rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, designed to enhance mental and emotional well-being by reducing stress and anxiety among culturally diverse communities.
Priority Area 2: Opportunities for Active Transportation and Physical Activity
Objective 21.0
Increase the prevalence of physical activity among all adults aged 18 years and older from 73.9% to 77.6%.
Objective 21.1
Increase the prevalence of physical activity among all adults aged 18 years and older with an annual household income less than $25,000 from 56.7% to 59.5%.
CSP strategy 3: Asian Community Bone Health initiative
- A community-based program offering self-management education workshops and a modified Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program, a low-impact chair-based exercise to help Asian older adults manage chronic musculoskeletal conditions and improve access to services.
CSP strategy 4: Musculoskeletal Health Wellness Initiative
- A self-management education and exercise program incorporating Tai Chi to build knowledge, skills, and confidence in managing chronic musculoskeletal conditions.
Priority Area 3: Opportunities for Continued Education
Objective 42.0
Increase the percentage of high school seniors that attend a 2- or 4-year college from 70.2% to 77.0%.
CSP strategy 5: Healthcare Immersion Experience
An evidence-based pipeline program engaging historically marginalized students in musculoskeletal medicine through immersive learning, mentorship, and hands-on clinical experiences to promote diversity in healthcare.
Past Community Service Plans
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For more information, please contact us at communityed@hss.edu.