Jerome W. Yates, MD, MPH
National Vice President, Research
American Cancer Society
Atlanta, GA
Furthering the scope of cancer prevention lies not just with scientists and physicians, but with all levels of government as well as the public and private sector to promote screening, early detection, and healthy lifestyles. As researchers continue to investigate new avenues of cancer prevention, employers, for the first time, are now waging a comprehensive and coordinated war on cancer led by the CEO Roundtable on Cancer and the American Cancer Society through the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™.
The CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ is the first major initiative of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, a nonprofit corporation comprised of corporate executives from major US companies as well as state governors. The CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ is the result of former President George H. W. Bush’s challenge to CEOs to do something “bold and venturesome” to defeat cancer. It covers all aspects of cancer reduction, from prevention to early detection to access to quality care. The CEO Cancer Gold Standard defines what CEOs and their organizations can do to prevent cancer, to detect it early, and to ensure access to the best available treatment for those who are diagnosed with cancer. A profound corporate commitment to the health of their employees and their families, it calls each company to evaluate its benefits and corporate culture and to take extensive, concrete actions in five key areas to promote cancer prevention, early detection, and access to quality care for all of its US employees and their dependents, in all US facilities.
Not only is the American Cancer Society a partner in the CEO Cancer Gold Standard’s efforts but the Society’s own national home office is also one of six accredited companies that has met the rigorous criteria based on the CEO Cancer Gold Standard’s five pillars addressing risk reduction (Tobacco Use, Diet and Nutrition, and Physical Activity), early detection (Screening and Early Detection) and access to quality treatment (Access to Quality Treatment and Clinical Trials). Other Gold Standard-accredited companies include AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, and OSI Pharmaceuticals. As many as 20 other employers from academia, banking, health care, insurance, manufacturing, retail, and technology are targeted to receive accreditation by the end of 2007.
The American Cancer Society believes it is important to create a work environment that supports these pillars. Outlined below are the specifics of the Society’s efforts.
Tobacco Use
The Society enforces a tobacco-free worksite policy prohibiting the use of tobacco both indoors and out; in company-owned and leased vehicles and buildings; and at company-sponsored meetings, both on and off the premises. It also ensures that health benefit plans include coverage for tobacco treatments, including counseling and medications. This free coverage includes access to the American Cancer Society Quitline® program– a telephone-based counseling program that helps those who use tobacco double their chances of successfully kicking the habit resulting in a healthier and more productive lifestyle.
Diet and Nutrition
The Society sustains a culture that supports healthy food choices by following the American Cancer Society Nutrition Guidelines. Onsite café and vending machines offer a variety of food choices that create an environment that enables employees to make healthy food choices. To help educate employees on nutrition and physical activity, all Society employees have access to the BecauseWeCare newsletter and www.FightCancer.org, resources with information about healthy and productive living. Access to nutrition and weight control programs onsite are also provided.
Physical Activity
The Society sustains a culture that promotes the benefits of physical activity. It encourages employee participation in yearly activity-based events, such as Relay For Life® and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer ®; a wellness committee implements the Society’s own Active for LifeSM program for all employees. The Society is committed to a fit lifestyle as demonstrated by the availability of flex time, on-premise bicycle racks to encourage employees to bike to work, and office locations in areas that allow employees to walk during the day or during lunch.
Screening and Early Detection
All Society employees have access to the Society’s Great American Health CheckSM – an online assessment tool designed to help individuals determine which early detection tests are needed to prevent cancer. The Society has a generous paid time-off policy that enables employees to have the time needed for important preventive or screening appointments. In addition, employees have access to benefit plan details 24 hours a day, seven days a week via the Society’s intranet. All Society health benefit plans include cancer-screening provisions that adhere to the American Cancer Society Guidelines and eliminate cost as a barrier to accessing preventive screening tests and exams.
Access to Quality Treatment and Clinical Trials
Providing education and promotion of cancer clinical trials ensures American Cancer Society employees are up-to-date on the latest cancer treatments. To help employees take advantage of all available treatment options, the Society offers health benefit plans that eliminate cost as a barrier to accessing cancer clinical trials and guarantee that health benefit plans provide access to cancer care at facilities and cancer centers approved by either the Commission on Cancer or the National Cancer Institute (NCI).
The American Cancer Society is dedicated to fighting cancer and has created the workplace programs described above to help employers create a healthier environment for employees. Workplace Solutions, a suite of products that directly support the pillars that comprise the CEO Cancer Gold Standard, is available at no cost to all employers. Information is available at the American Cancer Society’s Employer Initiative Workplace Solutions Web site at 
www.acsworkplacesolutions.com. Companies interested in the CEO Cancer Gold Standard may visit www.cancergoldstandard.org.
The CEO Gold Standard in Action: OSI Pharmaceuticals
To fulfill the rigorous requirements of the CEO Cancer Gold Standard and its Five Pillars, OSI Pharmaceuticals first evaluated existing health-promoting programs and policies and then implemented even more cancer prevention strategies for its employees and their families. "The CEO Gold Standard programs have been embraced by OSI Pharmaceuticals and are having a positive affect on the well-being of our employees and their families," according to Colin Goddard, PhD, the company’s CEO. "We continue to refine and improve our programs and have found tangible and intangible benefits that really make it worthwhile. We'd like to broaden the program beyond the healthcare industry as it could be a really exciting program if it penetrates the breadth of American industry." Here’s how OSI Pharmaceuticals implemented the CEO Cancer Gold Standard:
Tobacco Use: The company maintains a tobacco-free environment within its facilities and campuses. Counseling is available to those interested in discontinuing tobacco use. The company also enhanced its prescription drug benefit plan to include full coverage for tobacco-cessation prescription and OTC medicines [view page].
Diet & Nutrition: Healthy food choices, including fresh fruit and vending machines filled with nutrition-rich foods, are available to employees [view page].
Physical Activity: The link between cancer and obesity is described on a company sponsored cancer-specific Web site that is a component of the company’s larger initiative, Cancer Access Network Program. Employees are encouraged to participate in community walks that focus on cancer and intramural sports teams are a part of the corporate culture. The company also has distributed pedometers to all employees, asking that they work toward the government recommended 10,000 steps per day. Each year, the company, in conjunction with the ACS, promotes the Society’s 10-week “Active For Life” program, which encourages individuals to become more active on a daily basis.
Screening and Early Detection: Benefit plans cover age-appropriate cancer screenings such as mammography, colonoscopy, PSA tests, etc. The company communicates with employees regularly to underscore the importance of cancer screening. Throughout the year, employees receive information about cancer screening via the Cancer Access Web site, “lunch 'n learn” workshops, and an annual health fair. On their birthday, employees receive a personalized reminder to take good care of their health [ view page].
Access to Quality Treatment and Clinical Trials: The company provides full coverage for those employees who choose to take part in a clinical trial [ view page].
OSI's unique Cancer Access Network Program provides education on cancer prevention, detection, and treatment. Resources include recommended reading lists, help with choosing a physician, information on all the major types of cancer, clinical trial information, links to sites that provide additional information, and connection to subject matter experts, including medical oncologists who are employed at OSI Pharmaceuticals.
Another component of the Cancer Access Network Program is the Cancer Buddy Network, whereby employees team up to offer support during a difficult time. An OSI Cancer Buddy helps out a colleague in a number of beneficial ways, including shopping for food, doing laundry and yard work, preparing meals, providing transportation to and from doctor's appointments, arranging child care, etc.
