Minot State University was accredited with the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ certification, recognizing the organization’s commitment to the health of their employees and family members by certifying their efforts to meet an exceptionally high standard of cancer prevention, screening and care guidelines.
William C. Weldon, chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson & Johnson 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, the American Cancer Society, CDC and leading health professionals.
“Our Gold Standard certification acknowledges that the commitment of Dr. David Fuller and Minot State University to educating tomorrow’s leaders includes a commitment to supporting their health and well-being as well,” said Weldon.
The CEO Cancer Gold Standard™, calls for companies to evaluate their benefits and 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 and encouraging physical activity, healthy diet and nutrition; detect cancer at its earliest stages; and provide access to quality care, including the availability of clinical trials.
The most recent President’s Cancer Panel report, “Maximizing our Nation’s Investment in Cancer: Three Crucial Actions for America’s Health”, identified the CEO Cancer Gold Standard as an initiative that emphasizes cancer screening, tobacco control, cancer education, lifestyle modification, and access to cancer treatment when needed.
Minot State University becomes the second institute of higher learning to achieve Gold Standard accreditation, joining with the University of North Dakota, which achieved Gold Standard accreditation last year. Other organizations championing this workplace-based effort to eliminate cancer as a public health threat include: American Cancer Society, American Legacy Foundation, AstraZeneca, C-Change, CIGNA, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Duke Medicine, Edelman, Enzon Pharmaceuticals, GHI, GlaxoSmithKline, Jenner & Block, Johnson & Johnson, The Lance Armstrong Foundation, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, The National Cancer Institute (NCI), Novartis, The Oncology Nursing Society, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, PhRMA, PPD, Quintiles Transnational, SAS Institute, The University of North Dakota, US Oncology, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Virtua Health and The Wistar Institute.
About Minot State University Minot State University was founded in 1913 to serve the citizens of northwest North Dakota. It is located in Minot, a city with approximately 37,000 residents. Minot State primarily serves North Dakota, Montana and several contiguous Canadian provinces and is reaching out to students in the state of Washington, other Canadian provinces as well as the countries of China, Ghana and Norway. Several Native American communities are located in our region and are represented in our students and faculty. The University has evolved from a normal school to a Carnegie Master’s I institution. Three colleges comprise the university’s academic offerings: Arts and Sciences, Business, and Education and Health Sciences. There is a rich mix of liberal arts and professional programs offering more than 60 majors at the undergraduate level and nine master’s degrees. Almost 3,500 students enrolled at Minot State during the fall 2008 semester.
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 with the CEO Cancer Gold Standard encouraging its widespread adoption in workplaces across the country. For more information on the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ and the accreditation process, please visit ww.CancerGoldStandard.org.
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For more information: CEO Roundtable on Cancer John Dornan, Executive Director P: 919-531-0966 E: John.Dornan@CEORoundtableOnCancer.org
To read the President’s Cancer Panel 2007- 2008 Report, please go to: http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/pcp.htm.