The CEO Roundtable on Cancer joined with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Ministry of Health of the People’s Republic of China (MOH), and nearly 60 leading enterprises operating in China to issue a joint statement establishing the China-United States Partnership on Smoke-Free Workplaces. The landmark public-private partnership links health and business leaders in an effort to reduce the negative health impacts of tobacco and secondhand smoke. The effort stems in part from the Ministry of Health’s recent “China Report on the Health Hazards of Smoking” which stated that more than one million deaths are caused by tobacco each year in China. The report followed the 2011 United Nations High Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases which encouraged employers to establish more comprehensive tobacco-free workplace policies.

The CEO Roundtable on Cancer has long encouraged employers to exercise their positive impact on the health and wellness of employees and their family members. The organization’s CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ workplace accreditation program recognizes employers’ efforts to reduce the risk of cancer and other devastating diseases by promoting healthy lifestyle choices, encouraging early detection through cancer screenings, and ensuring access to quality cancer treatment.

Christopher A. Viehbacher, chief executive officer of Sanofi, chairs the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, the 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. Today, more than 3 million employees and family members are benefiting from the vision and leadership of the more than 130 employers who have chosen to become Gold Standard accredited.

The Gold Standard calls for organizations to evaluate their health benefits and corporate culture and take extensive, concrete actions in five key areas of health and wellness to address cancer in the workplace. To earn Gold Standard accreditation, a company must establish programs to reduce cancer risk by prohibiting tobacco use in the workplace; encouraging physical activity; promoting healthy diet and nutrition; detecting cancer at its earliest stages; and providing access to quality care, including participation in clinical trials. 

In addition to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), twelve NCI-designated cancer centers and more than 30 other hospitals and medical centers have earned Gold Standard accreditation. CEOs from across industries are keenly aware of the tremendous impact they can have on improving health, controlling health care costs and making a difference beyond their organization’s walls in the fight against cancer and other chronic diseases. Other Gold Standard employers include insurers like Aetna, Cigna, State Farm and several Blue Cross affiliates; law firms, such as Hogan Lovells and Jenner + Block; technology companies such as Dell and SAS Institute; institutes of higher education and a range of leading employers including American Century Investments, Johnson & Johnson and Lowe’s.