April 11, 2012
Cary, NC
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is leading by example when it comes to promoting workplace wellness and encouraging healthier behavior. The CEO Roundtable on Cancer recently accredited Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center with the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ recognizing 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.
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, over 3 million employees and family members are benefiting from the vision and leadership of the more than 120 employers who have chosen to become Gold Standard accredited.
“We are pleased to recognize the efforts of The Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center,” said Viehbacher. “Health care CEOs see firsthand the benefit that improved workplace health and wellness can have in cancer prevention and improved overall health. I hope the leadership and commitment of Dr. Steven Gabbe will encourage other health care leaders and employers across all industries to become Gold Standard accredited.”
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.
Included among the six hospitals that comprise The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center is The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). Ohio State is one of only 41 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers and one of only seven centers funded by the NCI to conduct both phase I and phase II 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 twenty-five 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.