Opening Up the Special Populations Opportunity

Working with adults who experience one or another of these conditions often involves a "handoff" from mainstream medical practitioners to trusted, complimentary medicine providers. For this handoff to take place, mainstream medical practitioners need to have confidence that the complimentary providers are not only qualified and competent, but also that they operate with the same degree of care and thoughtfulness that characterizes "best practice" in medicine. Today, there are several positive indicators that physicians are beginning to have this confidence in the fitness industry.

First, to offer one example, the National Arthritis Foundation has begun to certify hundreds of club industry professionals to provide safe and effective exercise programs for the more than 40 million Americans whose lives are effected by arthritis. These programs have already become immensely successful in clubs that have developed the programs and energetically promoted them. In the case of arthritis, the handoff from mainstream to complimentary medicine has been superbly orchestrated and hundreds of thousands of men and women are already benefiting from it. This program, developed by the National Arthritis Foundation, can serve as a prototype for countless other comparable initiatives.

In addition, many hospitals and physicians have already formed alliances and partnerships with industry- leading fitness and wellness centers to provide Stage 3 and Stage 4 programs for patients recovering from heart disease. These programs involve administering individualized exercise protocols and monitoring each patient's physiological and psychological progress. Once again, these club-based programs are increasingly common in all parts of the U.S., and are especially well-regarded by everyone involved- most of all, by the patients themselves.

The advent of hospital-owned fitness and wellness centers is also accelerating the development of linkages between leading health care providers and leading health club companies. Some of the world's most prestigious health care institutions, such as the Baylor Medical Center in Dallas, the Johns Hopkins hospitals in Baltimore, and The New England Baptist Hospital in Boston, are already involved in these pioneering ventures. These institutions have enormous influence within the larger, national health care community. As these facilities develop proven wellness programs, these programs will, in turn, provide benchmarks for the entire industry.

Finally, it should be noted that a small number of independent fitness and wellness centers have forged strong, specialized links to the medical community. These centers, too, are exercising immense industry leadership in this area. To mention but a few of the leaders, the Cooper Fitness Center in Dallas, The Fitness Institute in Toronto, The Marsh in Minneapolis, the Santa Barbara Athletic Club in California,

and the Sports Training Institute in New York City are all aggressively pioneering distinctive partnerships with mainstream medical institutions. Each of these facilities, in its own distinct way, provides the rest of the industry with a detailed road map that charts an avenue for health clubs to nurture strong relationships with mainstream medicine.

Finally, all of the most prestigious accrediting organizations, including the American Council on Exercise, American College of Sports Medicine, the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America, and the Aerobic Activity Center in Dallas, have already developed accreditation standards and certification programs that train and credential fitness professionals to work effectively with special populations. These programs and certifications are rapidly becoming an indispensable asset to the future growth and development of the industry.