CEO Cancer Gold Standard: Four organizations receive accreditation

Jan 25 2010

The American Cancer Society’s Mid-South Division, LiDestri Foods, MDU Resources Group, Inc. and WCA Hospital have received CEO Cancer Gold Standard^™ accreditation, recognizing the commitment of these organizations to taking concrete actions to reduce the cancer risk of employees and their families through screenings, early detection, and healthy changes in lifestyle.

“do something bold and venturesome about cancer within your own corporate families.”

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. Today, more than one million employees and family members are benefiting from the vision and leadership of employers who have chosen to become Gold Standard accredited.

“We are pleased to recognize the efforts of these organizations in the fight against cancer, starting with improving the health and wellness of their own employees,” said Weldon. “I hope the commitment demonstrated by these organizations will encourage other employers, large and small, to become Gold Standard accredited.”

The CEO Cancer Gold Standard^™ calls for companies to evaluate their health benefits and corporate culture and take extensive, concrete actions in five key areas of health and wellness to fight cancer in the workplace. To earn Gold Standard accreditation, a company must establish programs to reduce cancer risk by discouraging tobacco use; 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.

Other organizations joining the American Cancer Society’s Mid-South Division, LiDestri Foods, MDU Resources (NYSE: MDU) and WCA Hospital in championing this workplace-based effort to eliminate cancer as a public health threat include: Aetna (NYSE: AET), Aldagen, the American Cancer Society’s National Home Office, the American Legacy Foundation, the American Society of Clincial Oncology, Aptuit, AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN), C-Change, CIGNA (NYSE: CI), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Duke Medicine, Edelman, Enzon Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ENZN), Fox Chase Cancer Center, GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK), Hogan & Hartson, Independence Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Jenner & Block, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), The Lance Armstrong Foundation, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, Meridian Health, Minot State University, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, The National Cancer Institute, Novartis (NYSE: NVS), The Oncology Nursing Society, OSI Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: OSIP), Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), PhRMA, PPD (NASDAQ: PPDI), Pride, Inc., Quintiles Transnational, sanofi-aventis (NYSE: SNY), SAS Institute, State Farm, The University of North Dakota, US Oncology, Valeant Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: VRX), Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Virtua Health and The Wistar Institute.

SOURCE The CEO Roundtable on Cancer