SAS Earns CEO Cancer Gold Standard™ Accreditation

Software powerhouse lauded for efforts at prevention, early detection and access to treatment

CARY, NC  (Jan. 17, 2007)  –  Long acknowledged as an employer of choice, SAS, the leader in business intelligence, has achieved the CEO Cancer Gold Standard for efforts to promote a healthy workplace. The accreditation is given by the CEO Roundtable on Cancer, comprised of corporate executives from major American companies doing their part to reduce cancer risk, improve detection and ensure access to quality healthcare for cancer treatment. 

“The Gold Standard is a comprehensive initiative, attacking cancer from every angle: prevention, early diagnosis, and quality care. Becoming accredited is terrific news for SAS employees and their families. As more cancers will be prevented and others detected earlier, lives will be saved,” said William C. Weldon, Chairman, CEO Roundtable on Cancer, Inc. and Chairman and CEO, Johnson & Johnson.

 “This accreditation is an extension of our ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of our employees,” Said SAS CEO Dr. Jim Goodnight, a charter member of the CEO Roundtable. “Together the Gold Standard companies are making a strong statement that cancer can be prevented and lives can be prolonged.” 

Cancer Gold Standard Pillars

Organizations that adopt the Cancer Gold Standard are committed to activities in the following five areas:

1. Tobacco use reduction/cessation.
2. Improved diet and nutrition.
3. Increased physical activity.
4. Early cancer detection through evidence-based screening.

5. Easier access to quality cancer care and cancer clinical trials.

SAS programs already help employees improve their diets and increase physical activity, and healthcare benefits include cancer screening for early detection, access to quality care and clinical trials, and reimbursement for tobacco cessation products and services. In 2007, SAS is taking one more step by prohibiting the use of tobacco products in any of its offices or company-owned vehicles in the US or anywhere on the Cary, NC headquarters campus.

“We’ve been tobacco-free inside our buildings for some time,” said Jeff Chambers, Vice President, U.S. Human Resources. “Now, we’ve extended that policy. We have resources and support systems through the Health Center and under our healthcare plan to help our employees and their dependents who wish to quit.”

 “The CEO Cancer Gold Standard is the best way I know for any organization to make a real difference in the fight against cancer,” said Robert A. Ingram, Vice Chairman and CEO, Roundtable on Cancer, Inc., and Vice Chairman, GlaxoSmithKline. “SAS is to be commended for its commitment to this standard of excellence ... it offers confirmation of the high value that SAS has traditionally placed on their employees.”

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