The Center for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at Quinnipiac University. Photo by Mark Stanczak.
The CEO Roundtable on Cancer has re-accredited Quinnipiac University as a CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ employer for 2017, recognizing its efforts to reduce the risk of cancer for its employees and covered family members on the North Haven Campus.
The CEO Roundtable on Cancer is a nonprofit organization of CEOs, founded by former President George H.W. Bush. It developed and administers the Gold Standard, a workplace accreditation program that encourages and recognizes the commitment of organizations that take concrete actions to address cancer in their workplaces. Over 200 private, nonprofit and government employers in a wide range of industries have earned Gold Standard accreditation, including the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and a number of NCI-designated cancer centers.
“Quinnipiac is committed to employee well-being,” said Jean Husted, vice president for human resources at Quinnipiac. “By providing the level of support and resources to our employees that supported us in achieving this important accreditation, we’ve helped to create a healthier workforce. We look forward to strengthening our standards on our other two campuses as well this year, which will further our efforts to promote the ideals of the CEO Cancer Gold Standard.”
The North Haven Campus, where Quinnipiac’s Schools of Education, Health Sciences, Law, Medicine and Nursing are located, has been smoke free since 2012.
To earn Gold Standard accreditation, an employer must establish programs to reduce cancer risk by taking concrete actions in five key areas: establishing policies and programs to reduce cancer risk by prohibiting tobacco use and supporting tobacco cessation efforts; promoting physical activity, healthy nutrition and weight management; providing health insurance options that include detecting cancer at its earliest stages, access to quality care and participation in cancer clinical trials; promoting employee awareness of these initiatives; and supporting the needs of cancer survivors in the workplace.
Martin J. Murphy, chief executive officer of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, commended Quinnipiac for achieving reaccreditation.
“Your personal commitment is making a difference in the lives of your employees as you have taken concrete actions to meet the high standards of this initiative, thereby reducing the risk of cancer, as well as the other chronic and costly diseases within your workforce,” Murphy said.
“By achieving and maintaining Gold Standard status, you are inspiring other employers to embrace this program which has become a beacon of hope and health for now more than 6 million employees and their family members around the globe,” Murphy added.
In addition to NCI and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 NCI-designated cancer centers and more than 200 employers have earned Gold Standard accreditation. CEOs from many industries are keenly aware of the life-improving impact they can have on health and controlling health care costs when they address cancer and other chronic diseases. Gold Standard employers include: Amgen, Avis Budget Group, CVS Health, Dell, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Lowe’s, State Farm, The Ohio State University, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, SAS and many Blue Cross affiliates.