The Lance Armstrong Foundation Receives CEO Cancer Gold StandardTM Accreditation

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 20 Aug 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Today, the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) 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. In doing so, LAF joins with twenty other organizations that have demonstrated exemplary effort to prevent cancer in the workplace and in their leadership in the overall fight against cancer.

William C. Weldon, chairman and chief executive officer of Johnson & Johnson chairs the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, the nonprofit organization of cancer-fighting CEOs that created the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™, in collaboration with the American Cancer Society, NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers and leading corporate health professionals.

"Lance Armstrong's dedication on behalf of cancer survivors is a true inspiration," said Weldon. "Likewise, I believe the commitment of the Lance Armstrong Foundation to its employees and family members in achieving Gold Standard accreditation will further inspire business leaders to recognize the valuable role they can play in the workplace to help us win the battle against cancer."

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, "Promoting Healthy Lifestyles: Policy, Program, and Personal Recommendations for Reducing Cancer Risk," identified the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ as an initiative that is helping reverse negative, unhealthy lifestyle trends and creating hope in the fight against cancer for America's workers and their families.

Joining the Lance Armstrong Foundation in this workplace-based effort to eliminate cancer as a public health threat are: American Cancer Society, American Legacy Foundation, AstraZeneca, C-Change, Duke Medicine, Edelman, Enzon Pharmaceuticals, GHI, GlaxoSmithKline, Jenner & Block, Johnson & Johnson, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Novartis, OSI Pharmaceuticals, PhRMA, PPD, Quintiles Transnational, SAS Institute, The University of North Dakota and Valeant Pharmaceuticals.

About the Lance Armstrong Foundation

The Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) unites people through programs and experiences to empower cancer survivors to live life on their own terms and to raise awareness and funds for the fight against cancer. The LAF focuses on cancer prevention, access to screening and care, research and quality of life for cancer survivors. Founded in 1997 by cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong, the LAF has raised more than $250 million for the fight against cancer. Join 60 million LIVESTRONG wristband wearers and help make cancer a national priority. Unite and fight cancer at http://www.LIVESTRONG.org.

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, then led by Robert A. Ingram the CEO of Glaxo Wellcome, now GlaxoSmithKline, 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 http://www.CancerGoldStandard.org.

To read the President's Cancer Panel report, please go here.

Lance Armstrong Foundation.