Big Omaha Fitness Partners with Addiction Treatment Facility, Creates Unexpected Business Revenue

When Dr. Mark Jones of Northpoint Nebraska, an addiction treatment and rehabilitation center approached Big Omaha Fitness owner and seven-time CrossFit Games athlete Stacie Tovar about creating a partnership, she didn’t hesitate to say yes.

The result: For the last two months, those in the 30-day rehabilitation program at Northpoint Nebraska have been doing CrossFit at Big Omaha Fitness three days a week during the gym’s quiet time in the middle of the afternoon as part of their rehabilitation process.

• The purpose of the partnership, Jones explained, was, not just to provide participants with the physical and emotional health benefits that go along with exercise, but also “to get them out there in the community…beyond the four walls of the hospital,” to make connections and feel the camaraderie you get in the CrossFit community. 

One big thing: Though the goal of a program like this can never be about making money, the fact Northpoint Nebraska had funding in their budget to pay for a fitness program, has been a welcome bonus for Tovar, as it has allowed her to compensate her coaches for their time. And she believes there are lots of similar opportunities out there available for other affiliates willing to take action.

• “Pick up the phone and call or send an email to organizations. It doesn’t hurt to ask,” Tovar said. “There are people out there who need your help, your professionalism and expertise as a CrossFit coach. We know how to change lives and make people better, and healthier and happier, people who don’t know how to do that on their own…The opportunities are out there. It’s about who you know and who you can connect with.”
• Jones explained a CrossFit gym is the perfect kind of gym for a facility like his to partner with, as the people in his addiction recovery program need hands-on coaching. “Our philosophy was to form a partnership with a boutique gym that can help individuals get healthy,” he explained.
• He added: “It’s an expense we’re willing to incur because we think it’s so important…And not only can (programs like this) bring in more members to the gym, but (coaches) can also have a health impact on them. It’s inspiring for the Tovars to have a social impact, too.”

The big picture: Business opportunities aside, Tovar said what she has witnessed in the last two months among those who have been attending her gym three days a week has been nothing short of inspiring. 

• “The mental health aspect has been incredible. They leave feeling so much better than when they walked in…I have noticed a huge difference in their attitudes and their smiles,” Tovar said. “They genuinely want to be here. It’s their happy place, for sure.”