A Special Partnership

On March 30, 2006, officials of The Charlotte Hungerford Hospital (CHH) and NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases (NYUHJD) announced the formation of the Orthopaedic Health Network - a new partnership of Orthopaedic care to serve Torrington and its surrounding communities. The network is designed to provide area residents with comprehensive and expert care in key areas including the surgical specialties of joint replacement, spine surgery and hand surgery.

“The Network will combine the professional expertise of our orthopaedic physicians with the resources at NYUHJD to help patients regain and maintain their mobility and independence throughout every stage of life." said Dan McIntyre, President and Executive Director at Charlotte Hungerford. "By combining and expanding our resources, we are providing the most advanced and comprehensive care to the communities we serve."

NYUHJD is a 190-bed facility located in Manhattan. First incorporated in 1905, and formally known as the Hospital for Joint Diseases before merging with NYU Medical Center January 1, 2006, NYUHJD is the musculoskeletal center of excellence at NYU Medical Center and specializes in orthopaedic surgery, rheumatology, rehabilitation medicine, and neurology. It has been named as one the of the nation’s top hospitals in orthopaedics and rheumatology in U.S. News and World Reports’ annual “America’s Best Hospitals” issue. Physicians from NYUHJD are also well represented in New York Magazine’s annual “Best Doctors” issue. The Charlotte Hungerford Hospital is a 109-bed, general acute care non-profit organization located in Torrington, CT, serving thirteen area towns and 100,000 residents in the Northwest region of Connecticut.

“We are very pleased to enter into partnership with Charlotte Hungerford, “ says David A. Dibner, Senior Vice President/Site Administrator of NYUHJD. “This is the first relationship of its kind for us, and I think it will pay tremendous benefits for both the NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases and Charlotte Hungerford.”

Dr. Keith Penny, orthopaedic surgeon and Medical Director of the Orthopaedic Health Network, put it this way: “Our hospital has shown a real commitment to excellence in this area. We have a very strong program here. Now our patients can get really high-level care, without having to travel great distances.”

NYUHJD will provide support to the Orthopaedic Health Network in the form of advanced protocols in related specialties, as well as joint rounds by NYUHJD physicians and consultations on specialized cases. “We have some of the finest talent in the field,” says Dr. Joseph Zuckerman, Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at NYUHJD. “We’re pleased to offer our expertise in service to the physicians of the Orthopaedic Health Network and to help patients in new areas.”

“This is really big news for orthopaedics in our region,” says John Capobianco, Vice President of Administration at Charlotte. “In essence, we’re making world-class orthopedic care as accessible as your local hospital.”

Working in conjunction with NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, The Orthopaedic Network endeavors to advance the care and treatment of orthopaedic health in Northwest Connecticut.