🔒Bristol Hospital sports medicine surgeon keeps New Britain Bees players buzzing

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For New Britain Bees players, staying healthy isn't just important to building and maintaining a quality team.

Injuries can make or break a player's chance of moving up the sport's ranks, maybe even to a Major League Baseball (MLB) career.

“There is a lot at stake since many of the players are hoping at a shot of either returning to the major leagues or playing at that level for the first time in their career,” said New Britain Bees General Manager Gerry Berthiaume.

Berthiaume said having a good team doctor — who attends games, and who players can call on for immediate care — is crucial.

That's why the team established a partnership during its inaugural season last year with nearby Bristol Hospital, whose sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Chris Betz, provides medical coverage to Bees players.

Betz, whose appointment with the Bees is part time, works closely with trainers for the Atlantic League team and is notified immediately if a Bees player ends up in the emergency room.

Ironically, though, the most serious injury the fledgling team has experienced in its first two years wasn't suffered by a player. Last year manager Stan Cliburn fractured his ankle.

“I got hit with a line drive,” Cliburn said.

Overall, Bees players tend to suffer more chronic baseball injuries, like strained hamstrings or elbow tendinitis.

Still, if nagging conditions aren't treated properly, they can endanger any patient's health.

“Any injury can have a serious effect on the patient's job and career,” said Betz, who worked with the Boston Red Sox during a UMass Medical School fellowship. “Whether they're a professional athlete or someone who has a job that requires physical activity, the patient wants to get back to work or on the field to earn a living.”

When he's not attending to the team, Betz and physician assistant Alexandra Vitale spend much of the week seeing other patients, including performing surgery two days a week. He also provides physician services to the Bristol Blues, a summer collegiate baseball team.

One growing trend Betz has noticed among his patient base is high school baseball pitchers with shoulder and elbow injuries.

“Young athletes are pitching too much,” Betz said.

Among the over 50 crowd, he is noticing more rotator-cuff injuries. And during ski season, he sees many ACL tears, which often occur when a skier stops abruptly and changes direction.

Betz himself was first introduced to sports medicine when he suffered a left shoulder separation playing high school sports.

“I was treated by a sports medicine surgeon in Manchester named Dr. Daniel Veltri and I consider him one of my mentors,” said Betz, who was able to shadow and spend time with Veltri while he was in college and medical school. “I always tell my patients, I've had my fair share of injuries and I know what it's like to watch from the sidelines or miss work.”

Berthiaume said many Bees players come from the U.S., Canada, Japan and South America and need a local doctor to remain in top condition.

“They feel extremely comfortable when they can rely on someone like Dr. Betz, who has had Major League Baseball experience as a team doctor and who is someone they trust in helping them through some of the ailments baseball players go through during the season,” Berthiaume said.

While Betz helps the Bees, the Bees also help Bristol Hospital. Having one of the hospital's top sports surgeons designated as the official physician for a local professional team has marketing value.

Bristol Hospital spokesman Chris Boyle said the arrangement between the care provider and the team also includes sponsorship of in-stadium and online advertising.

“The fact that they put their health and wellness in our hands says a lot for an independent community hospital like Bristol Hospital,” Boyle said.

Betz, who is based at the hospital's Center for Orthopedic and Spine Health, arrived at Bristol Hospital following his fellowship that included training with the Red Sox and New England Patriots.

In recent years Betz has been invited back to participate in spring training in Florida, where the Red Sox, like other teams, have an expanded roster of 40 players.

“Despite all my years of training and experience, the sports medicine field is always evolving and I want to learn more,” Betz said. “Spending time at spring training with some of the finest sports medicine experts in the field gives me a chance to expand on best practices and bring that expertise back here to Bristol.”

Betz said his Red Sox training taught him how to manage players at the professional level, including dealing with players' injury expectations and effectively communicating that information to team physicians and leadership.

He said he also got much more exposure to chronic throwing injuries that impact the elbow and rotator cuff.

Being around the Sox, however, has at least one awkward component: Betz is a Yankees fan.

“I'm a Yankees fan who works for the Red Sox,” Betz said. “I know more about the Red Sox than the Yankees.”