Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center First in State to Receive Cancer Accreditation
SIOUX FALLS (October 27, 2010) - The American Cancer Society has announced that Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center has become the first company in South Dakota to receive accreditation as a CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ company.
"This accreditation recognizes our commitment to reducing the risk of cancer for employees, their families and the community by promoting healthy lifestyle choices, encouraging early detection through cancer screenings and ensuring access to quality treatment," says Avera McKennan Regional President Dr. David Kapaska. "We are proud that Avera McKennan is one of only 69 hospitals in the entire nation with this accreditation."
To become accredited, a company must offer programs and foster a culture that will lower cancer risk. Specifically, they prohibit tobacco use at the workplace and provide support to help employees quit, along with offering programs that encourage physical activity and a healthy diet. Gold Standard employers also cover cancer screenings to increase the likelihood of detecting cancer at its earliest stages when outcomes are more likely to be favorable, and finally, they provide access to quality care.
Companies applying for accreditation must provide details of their policies, benefits, and programs. This application must be confirmed by the company CEO before it is reviewed by the CEO Cancer Gold Standard Review Board, which consists of top executives and wellness professionals from around the country.
Avera McKennan partnered with the American Cancer Society's Corporate Relations Workplace Solutions program along the way to receiving the Gold Standard accreditation. This program helps companies engage and energize employees with evidence-based health and wellness programs that help reduce their risk of cancer and other serious illnesses, as well as opportunities to participate in well-known community events such as the American Cancer Society Relay For Life® and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer®. For more information visit www.acsworkplacesolutions.com
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 to "do something bold and venturesome about cancer within your own corporate families." The CEOs responded by creating and encouraging the widespread adoption of the CEO Cancer Gold Standard which calls for organizations to evaluate their health benefits and workplace culture and take extensive, concrete actions in five key areas of health and wellness to fight cancer in the workplace. For more information on the CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ and the web-based accreditation process and support, please visit please visit www.cancergoldstandard.org.
About the American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. We save lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation's largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing about $3.4 billion, we turn what we know about cancer into what we do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more about us or to get help, call us any time, day or night, at 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.
