Now that the National Football League season is in full swing, the Portage Health Hospital gets to reap a windfall with Dr. Christopher Peer free to join the staff. Dr. Peer specializes in sports medicine and had to wrap up a few shoulders and knees first at the training camp of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Dr. Peer believes all athletes are created equal, at least when it comes to receiving the best possible sports medicine care. While he specializes in knee and shoulder care, he also is highly practiced in arthroscopic procedures and sports medicine. He is a Georgetown University Medical School graduate with orthopedic surgery training at the University of New Mexico. That led to a fellowship in orthopedic sports medicine- the top training in the profession- at Kansas City and work with the Chiefs. He even kept working with the Chiefs when he took a position at North County Hospital in Newport, Vt.

Portage Health is a leading Michigan health provider with a main campus at Hancock, Mi. Many services and specialties are available including family medicine, surgery, pediatrics, internal medicine, OB/GYN with a visiting specialty clinic, rehab, inpatient, emergency, audiology and much more. Other Portage Health facilities are at Houghton, which features express care and a totally equipped fitness center, and at Michigan Tech. A Lake Linden medical group serves that community with a full-service clinic. Ontonagon has a community health center providing specialty physicians in conjunction with the Marquette General Health System.

Transitioning to Portage Health is a natural for Dr. Peer, a board certified- the highest level- orthopedic surgeon who believes in being a team player. Accidents, overuse,and long-term wear and tear happen. Dr. Peer joins the great Portage Health orthopedic team that includes Dr. Jennifer Bow and Dr. Larry Carroll. These two specialize in every type of orthopedic procedure and sports medicine treatment, so Dr. Peer fits in perfectly. Dr. Peer will add even more expertise to the Portage sports medicine team and to the general orthopedics excellence of the health network, according to Jim Bogan, president and CEO of Portage Health.