Service Animals

Thank you for choosing HSS for your care. We strive to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all. If you or your visitors are in need of a service animal during your visit or stay with us, please review the information below.

Service animals are permitted under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) at HSS in all areas that do not have public access restrictions. Please feel free to bring a service animal to public waiting rooms, exam rooms, cafeterias and patient care areas such as pre-op patient rooms and clinics.

However, due to the nature of our care in some areas, service animals are not permitted in sterile or restricted areas. These include:

• Intensive care units – Orthopedic Special Care Unit (OSCU) and Step Down Unit
• Operating rooms
• Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU) and recovery rooms in all the surgical units
• Procedure rooms where sterile technique is required

We are pleased to share information on trusted neighborhood businesses that can take care of service animals whenever patients need to be in one of the restricted areas listed above. These businesses are listed in our Neighborhood Directory. If you will be in a restricted area, please make arrangements with the appropriate animal care facilities prior to your Hospital visit.

For further guidance related to service animals, please contact the Service Excellence Office at 212.774.2392. For accommodations on the day of surgery please call our Family Resource Line at 212.774.7547.