Hawai’i Pacific Health, Saint Barnabas Health Care System N.J., and XCelience LLC, have received CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ accreditation, recognizing the commitment of these organizations to reducing the risk of cancer for employees and their families by promoting healthy lifestyle choices, encouraging early detection through cancer screenings, and ensuring access to quality treatment.
William C. Weldon, chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson & Johnson, chairs the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, a nonprofit organization of cancer-fighting CEOs who created the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute, many of its designated cancer centers, and leading health non-profit organizations and professionals.
“The leadership and commitment to employee health of these Gold Standard organizations is exemplary,” said Weldon. “We hope that they will serve as models for other employers, large and small, for-profit and not-for-profit, to foster a workplace culture of health and wellness.”
The CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ calls for companies to evaluate their health benefits and their corporate culture. To earn Gold Standard accreditation, a company must offer programs and foster a culture that will lower cancer risk. Specifically, they prohibit tobacco use at the workplace and provide support to help employees quit, along with offering programs that encourage physical activity and a healthy diet. Gold Standard employers also cover cancer screenings to increase the likelihood of detecting cancer at its earliest stages when outcomes are more likely to be favorable, and finally, they provide access to quality care, including participation in clinical trials.
Employers are uniquely positioned to lead the fight against cancer and make a real difference in the health and wellbeing of their employees and their family members. The cost of cancer in the workplace is extraordinarily high considering the direct medical costs, lost productivity, disability claims and the tremendous personal toll the disease takes on individuals, families and coworkers. Earlier this year the journal Health Affairs reported that employer medical costs fall by about $3.27 for every dollar spent on wellness programs and that absenteeism costs fall by about $2.73 for every dollar spent.
Today, more than one and a quarter million employees and family members are benefiting from the vision and leadership of employers who have chosen to become Gold Standard accredited. CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation is awarded to organizations that demonstrate an exceptional, comprehensive commitment to fighting cancer by focusing on risk reduction, early detection and quality care. While the focus of the Gold Standard is cancer, the benefits of encouraging healthy lifestyle choices extend to other serious and expensive chronic conditions and diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The Gold Standard sends an important message to employees: “We are investing in your health because we care about you”.
About The CEO Roundtable on Cancer
The CEO Roundtable on Cancer was founded in 2001, when former President George H.W. Bush challenged a group of executives to “do something bold and venturesome about cancer within your own corporate families.” The CEOs responded by creating and encouraging the widespread adoption of the CEO Cancer Gold Standard which has now been adopted by more than seventy organizations, large and small, in the U.S. For more information on the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ and the web-based accreditation process and support, please visit www.CancerGoldStandard.org.
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For more information: CEO Roundtable on Cancer John Dornan, Executive Director P: 919-531-0966 John.Dornan@CEORoundtableOnCancer.org