UMB Financial Corporation, a financial services holding company headquartered in Kansas City, MO, is leading by example when it comes to promoting workplace wellness and encouraging healthier behavior. The CEO Roundtable on Cancer recently accredited UMB Financial with the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™. The Gold Standard recognizes their efforts to reduce the risk of cancer for their employees and covered family members by promoting healthy lifestyle choices, encouraging early detection through cancer screenings, and ensuring access to quality treatment.
“We are honored to receive the CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation and we are committed to a culture of wellness at UMB.”
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 three and a half million employees and family members are benefiting from the vision and leadership of 150 employers who have chosen to become Gold Standard accredited.
"Adopting the Gold Standard is a tribute to the extraordinary leadership of UMB and to their determination to provide inspiration and support to organizations large and small that are committed to playing an active role in winning the battle against cancer," said Viehbacher.
The CEO Cancer 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 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.
"At UMB, we engage and encourage associates to take action and personal responsibility in improving the health and wellbeing of themselves and their families by providing information and tools that allow them to make educated decisions," said UMB Chairman and CEO, Mariner Kemper. "We are honored to receive the CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation and we are committed to a culture of wellness at UMB."
In addition to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fifteen NCI-designated cancer centers and over forty other hospitals and medical centers have earned Gold Standard accreditation. CEOs from across industries are keenly aware of the tremendous impact they can have in 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.