August 15, 2017
Cary, NC
University of Iowa Health Care has earned CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ accreditation from the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, a nonprofit organization that recognizes employers that promote worker health and wellness.
CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation puts UI Health Care on a list of health and wellness influencers—including the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—that lead by example in their efforts to promote good health.
To earn CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation, an employer must establish programs to reduce cancer risk by taking concrete actions in five key areas:
- Emphasizing prevention
- Promoting healthy lifestyles
- Providing health insurance options that encourage detection of cancer at its earliest stages, ensure access to quality care, and allow participation in cancer clinical trials
- Promoting employee awareness of these initiatives
- Supporting the needs of cancer survivors in the workplace
Home to Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, UI Health Care is uniquely equipped to offer its employees cancer-prevention strategies that address all five of those key areas, supported by university-wide measures such as tobacco-cessation programs, an employee-wellness initiative, healthy food choices in dining facilities, and insurance coverage that supports early detection and quality care.
Iowa’s only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center provides the most advanced cancer detection, treatment, and survivorship options available, including clinical studies of the latest and most promising cancer drugs. In 2016, more than 470 patients volunteered to participate in clinical studies at the cancer center.
“We focus our efforts on reducing the burden of cancer for those we serve,” says George Weiner, MD, director of Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center and the C.E. Block Chair of Cancer Research at the University of Iowa. “It is our responsibility to set a good example by providing top-notch health and wellness programs for those who work for University of Iowa Health Care.”
UI Health Care was named by Forbes in 2017 as the nation’s fifth-best employer in the health care industry and No. 14 employer overall.
“CEOs in health care industries see firsthand the benefit that improved workplace health and wellness can have in cancer prevention and improved overall health,” says Robert A. Bradway, chairman and chief executive officer of Amgen and chairman of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer.
About University of Iowa Health Care
University of Iowa Health Care is the state’s only comprehensive academic medical center, dedicated to providing world-class health care and health-related outreach services to all Iowans. Based in Iowa City, UI Health Care includes University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, and University of Iowa Physicians, the state’s largest multi-specialty physician group practice. Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center is Iowa’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and treated nearly 24,000 unique cancer patients in fiscal year 2016.
