Pride Earns CEO Cancer Gold Standard Accreditation

Pride, Inc. said that it 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.

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, and health non-profit organizations and professionals.

"Our Gold Standard certification recognizes that Pride Inc.'s commitment to serving their community starts with providing for the health and wellness needs of the employees who help them fulfill that commitment," said Weldon.

Pride, Inc. is a North Dakota-based non-profit provider of vocational and developmental services for the elderly and disabled. The organization has taken a proactive approach to its employees' health, providing incentives to make healthier lifestyle choices including losing weight and quitting smoking.

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, the group noted in a release. 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.

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.

The CEO Roundtable on Cancer was founded in 2001, when former President George H.W. Bush challenged a group of executives 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.

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