HSS Dives in to Support June 20 Swim Across America - Fairfield County’s 20th Annual Open Water Swim

Swim Across America - Fairfield County is excited to announce that Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), one of the world’s leading academic medical centers focused on musculoskeletal health, has joined Swim Across America - Fairfield County as a sponsor of its 20th annual open water swim on Saturday, June 20th. The swim includes ½-mile, 1.5-mile and 3-mile courses, plus a fun Kids’ Splash for ages 11 and under. The event is being held in Dolphin Cove in Long Island Sound off the coast of Stamford and Greenwich, Connecticut, just a few miles from HSS’s Stamford office. The sponsorship brings together HSS’s extensive Fairfield County presence with one of the region’s signature community events.

As part of its sponsorship, HSS has formed Team HSS, led by team captain Theodore A. Blaine, MD, a sports medicine surgeon at HSS, specialized in shoulder and elbow, professor of clinical orthopedic surgery at Weill Cornell Medical College, and former competitive swimmer. The team includes HSS physicians, staff, families, friends and athletes who will swim, volunteer and fundraise to support cancer research.

The 20th annual Swim Across America - Fairfield County open water swim raises funds for Swim Across America’s local beneficiary, Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT), a Stamford-based nonprofit dedicated to funding innovative cancer cell and gene therapy research.

“At HSS, our mission is to help everyone move better, recover stronger and return to the lives they love,” said Theodore Blaine, MD, sports medicine surgeon with HSS. “Supporting, swimming and volunteering with Swim Across America - Fairfield County is a meaningful way for Team HSS to bring that mission directly into the community we serve. We are swimming for patients, families, colleagues, friends and loved ones who have also been touched by cancer, and for the research that can lead to better treatments and more hope.”

The sponsorship also reflects an important connection between cancer care, recovery and movement. For many patients and survivors, cancer treatment can affect strength, mobility, balance, joints, muscles and bone health. HSS’s expertise in helping patients move better and recover stronger makes its support of Swim Across America - Fairfield County a natural fit for an event built around movement, endurance, teamwork and hope.

“Hospital for Special Surgery is a perfect collaborator for Swim Across America - Fairfield County because HSS understands the power of movement, teamwork and community,” said Nancy Carr, event director for Swim Across America - Fairfield County and a two-time cancer survivor. “Having Team HSS in the water and on the land with us this year brings a special energy to our 20th annual swim. Every swimmer, volunteer, sponsor and donor helps us make even bigger waves to fight cancer.”

HSS has an expansive presence across Fairfield County through its collaboration with Stamford Health. HSS surgeons operate at Stamford Hospital and Stamford Health Tully Health Center. Patients can see physicians across multiple disciplines at regional outpatient facilities in Westport, Wilton and Hamden, as well as HSS Stamford at Chelsea Piers. Sports rehabilitation services are available at multiple locations in Fairfield County.

The sponsorship of Swim Across America - Fairfield County reflects HSS’s commitment to health, movement, recovery and community engagement.

“As physicians, we know that movement is deeply connected to recovery, independence and quality of life,” Dr. Blaine noted. “For many cancer patients and survivors especially, treatment can affect strength, mobility and musculoskeletal health. Swim Across America brings the community together through movement to support research that can give families more hope, and we’re proud to be a part of that.”

Swim Across America, founded in 1987 by Darien, Connecticut, resident Matt Vossler and his college roommate Jeff Keith, is a national organization that holds community swims in 27 communities across the nation – from Nantucket to under the Golden Gate Bridge – to help raise funds for cancer research. Throughout its years, it has raised more than $150 million for critical cancer research, and has supported the clinical trials of FDA approved cancer immunotherapy treatments including Keytruda, Opdivo, Tecentriq and Yervoy. The Swim Across America - Fairfield County swim was started in 2007 and has raised more than $8.2 million for cancer research since its founding.

The June 20 event will include 1/2-mile, 1.5-mile and 3-mile open water swim options, as well as a fun Kids’ Splash for children ages 11 and younger; for those not able to participate in person, a virtual SAA My Way option is available. The event draws hundreds of swimmers, volunteers, spectators and supporters from throughout Fairfield County and the tri-state region and is held at 96 Cummings Point Road in Stamford, Connecticut.

Swimmers, volunteers, sponsors and donors are encouraged to register to participate at swimacrossamerica.org/fc.

Swim Across America, Inc. (SAA) is dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment through swimming-related events. With open water and pool swims in 27 communities across the United States – from Nantucket to under the Golden Gate Bridge – Swim Across America, along with the help of thousands of swimmers and volunteers nationwide, and past and current Olympians, is helping find better treatments and a cure for cancer through athleticism, community outreach and direct service. To learn more, visit swimacrossamerica.org.

HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 16th consecutive year), No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2025-2026), and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in NY, NJ and CT by U.S. News & World Report “Best Children’s Hospitals” list (2025-2026). In a survey of medical professionals in more than 20 countries by Newsweek, HSS is ranked world #1 in orthopedics for a fifth consecutive year (2025). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection and complication rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center five consecutive times. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. In addition, more than 200 HSS clinical investigators are working to improve patient outcomes through better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat orthopedic, rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. The HSS Innovation Institute works to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 165 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.