Athletes have their fields of play, their courts, their tracks, their stadiums and their courses; these hallowed grounds of competition go by a number of names. But when injury takes them out of the action, there’s only one best place athletes have as a healing sanctuary: The Arnold Palmer SportsHealth Center at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. The Center provides comprehensive care for athletes of all levels of competition and from all sports—no surprise, considering the name above the door.

When Mr. Palmer sustained a wrist injury, he visited Graham at the premier destination for the care of the professional athlete’s hand and wrist, the Curtis National Hand Center, also located at Union Memorial Hospital. Arnold was not only thrilled with the care, but appreciated the caring; he admonished Dr. Graham to develop a way to bring together clinical excellence and hospitable, respectful treatment of the patient.

“I felt comfortable enough with Union Memorial’s legacy of leadership in Sports Medicine, the contemporary resources we maintain and the commitment to excellence of our people, to ask Arnold for maybe one of the greatest endorsements that you could ever ask… putting his name on it,” said Dr. Thomas Graham, Surgeon-in-Chief of the Center, and a good friend of Mr. Palmer’s.

As Palmer himself said of the facility when it opened in 2006, “To have your name on a facility such as this, you want to know that the care and the things that are happening in that facility are of the standards that you would like to create in your lifetime.” With more than 40 specialists in 17 specialty areas, the Arnold Palmer SportsHealth Center is uniquely qualified to address sports-related injuries. Many of the specialists are athletes themselves, which certainly helps when it comes to understanding both the physical and mental side of sports injuries.

One of the greatest aspects of the Center is its accessibility. Dr. Eugene Diokno, a consulting physician (and marathon runner) says accessibility and efficiency are part of the plan. “Our objective here… is to be able to get the patient in quickly, render timely assessment and expert care, so they can return to their desired level of activity.”

William H.B. Howard, another doctor at the Center, concurs. “The main way I found it differed [from other facilities] is that it's very easy to be seen,” he said. “Consultants can be arranged in one or two days at any area, whether it's with an orthopaedist, whether it's with physical therapy, whether it's with a gynecologist, it can be done very promptly.”

The efficient and welcoming surroundings and processes are a testament to the signature Mr. Palmer has literally placed on the Center. As Dr. Graham explains: “When Mr. Palmer and I were originally talking about the concepts… He really wanted it to not only reflect the clinical excellence that’s been part of this hospital community for over 150 years, but he really wanted the service excellence that goes along with that.”

Although maybe best known for the steady stream of professional athletes who seek their services, the Arnold Palmer SportsHealth Center was built for the athlete in all of us. Graham points out, “The athlete is just the active individual who seeks a healthy lifestyle and the joy of participating.”

This means that besides the professional athlete, the Arnold Palmer SportsHealth Center serves the scholastic and collegiate athlete, the executive athlete and the industrial athlete. Special considerations are given to the physically or mentally challenged athlete and the important differences in caring for the female athlete.

Plenty of information is available on the Center’s excellent Web site, including information about how to book an appointment. As stated on that site, if you’re a professional feel free to come by (the Baltimore Ravens and athletes from all other major sports do), but any active adults, high school and college athlete, or weekend warriors is welcome. Take it from Arnie:

“I think that is very important that people know that you just don’t have to be a professional athlete to get the kind of treatment you’re looking for in this sports center,” he says. “I’m proud of the fact that my name is on it.”

Find out more at www.arnoldpalmersportshealth.org