The CEO Cancer Gold Standard, the employer health and wellness accreditation program of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, is now helping more than 5 million employees and their family members prevent and address cancer through workplace-based programming as the first six Gold Standard employers celebrate ten years of accreditation.

The CEO Roundtable on Cancer, a nonprofit organization of CEOs, founded by former President George H.W. Bush, developed and administers the Gold Standard, which encourages and recognizes the commitment of organizations that take concrete actions to address cancer in their workplaces.

“It’s an honor to earn the Gold Standard accreditation for the 10th consecutive year, and it’s a recognition that I attribute to our strong culture of health,” said Alex Gorsky, Chairman and CEO, Johnson & Johnson. “Our employee wellness programs at Johnson & Johnson have, undoubtedly, led to a healthier and more productive, engaged and satisfied workforce, which reaffirms our belief that an investment in our employees’ health is an investment in our company’s health.”

Nearly 200 private, nonprofit and government employers in a wide range of industries have earned Gold Standard accreditation. Following their most recent annual accreditation, the six inaugural organizations which first earned Gold Standard status 2006, have now maintained that level of workplace health and wellness excellence for ten years. They are: the American Cancer Society, Astellas, AstraZeneca, GSK, Johnson & Johnson and Novartis.

“At Novartis Oncology, our mission is to discover new ways to improve and extend the lives of people with cancer. This starts with the health of our associates,” said Bruno Strigini, President, Novartis Oncology. “Our accreditation with the CEO Cancer Gold Standard has provided us for the past 10 years with a valuable framework from which to structure our programs geared toward preventing cancer, providing support during the cancer journey, and encouraging the overall health and well-being of our associates.”

To earn Gold Standard accreditation, an employer must establish programs to reduce cancer risk by taking concrete actions in five key areas: establishing policies and programs to reduce cancer risk by prohibiting tobacco use and supporting tobacco cessation efforts; promoting physical activity, healthy nutrition and weight management; providing health insurance options that include detecting cancer at its earliest stages, access to quality care and participation in cancer clinical trials; promoting employee awareness of these initiatives; and supporting the needs of cancer survivors in the workplace. 

“Gold Standard employers make a positive impact on the lives of so many employees and their families, and offer a powerful advantage in the fight against cancer,” said Robert A. Bradway, chairman and chief executive officer of Amgen and chairman of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer.  “We believe Gold Standard employers are leading the way to better health among employees across all industries and geographies.”

As this evidence-based worksite wellness and cancer prevention program has evolved, the free, web-based, accreditation process has been streamlined while also providing more pre- and post-accreditation resources and best practices for employers. Visitors to www.cancergoldstandard.org can explore publications noting Gold Standard impacts, including articles from Harvard Business Review and research from Population Health Management and other peer-reviewed journals, as well as real-world best practices implemented by Gold Standard employers.

In addition to National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 NCI-designated cancer centers and more than 100 other hospitals have earned Gold Standard accreditation. CEOs from many industries are keenly aware of the life-improving impact they can have on health and controlling healthcare costs when they address cancer and other chronic diseases.  Gold Standard employers include: Avis Budget Group, Dell, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Lowe’s, the Ohio State University, SAS, State Farm, and many Blue Cross affiliates.