ASCO Receives CEO Cancer Gold Standard Accreditation

September 9, 2009 - The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has received CEO Cancer Gold Standard accreditation, recognizing the organization’s commitment to taking concrete actions to reduce the cancer risk of its employees and their families through screenings, early detection, and healthy changes in lifestyle and in the workplace.

The CEO Cancer Gold Standard calls for companies 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.

“We are very proud to gain this designation. It demonstrates an unwavering commitment to the health and well-being of our employees,” said ASCO CEO Allen S. Lichter, M.D. “As additional organizations become certified, we can make great strides in reducing cancer incidence and improving cancer treatment.”

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 CDC, and leading health non-profit organizations and professionals.

“As the world’s leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer, it is fitting that our Gold Standard certification demonstrates that ASCO also cares for its employees and their family members and supports efforts to reduce their cancer risk,” said William C. Weldon, chairperson and chief executive officer of Johnson & Johnson, who chairs the Roundtable.

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.

Other organizations joining ASCO in championing this workplace-based effort to eliminate cancer as a public health threat include: American Cancer Society, the American Legacy Foundation, C-Change, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Duke Medicine, Edelman, Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Fox Chase Cancer Center, GHI (an EmblemHealth company), Hogan & Hartson, Independence Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Jenner & Block, The Lance Armstrong Foundation, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, Minot State University, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, The National Cancer Institute, Novartis, The Oncology Nursing Society, OSI Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, PhRMA, PPD, Quintiles Transnational, sanofi-aventis, SAS Institute, The University of North Dakota, US Oncology, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

For more information: www.asco.org and www.cancer.net