AU Medical Center celebrates Gold Standard accreditation

Augusta University Medical Center has been awarded the CEO Cancer Gold Standard for incorporating strategies in the workplace to help employees and their families reduce their risk of cancer. The medical center has been a Gold Standard healthy employer since 2014.

“All of us at AU Health strive for the highest quality of care for our patients. Just as importantly, we are committed to promoting the wellbeing of our employees and their families, especially when it comes to cancer,” said Lee Ann Liska, chief executive officer of AU Medical Center and executive vice president of Clinical Affairs for Augusta University. “We provide numerous incentives to help employees become tobacco-free, and we also offer health and wellness opportunities on everything from diet and exercise to screenings and seminars, demonstrating our commitment as a Gold Standard employer.”

Human Resources and Employee Health & Wellness work in partnership with experts at the Georgia Cancer Center at Augusta University to promote this optimal work environment.

The CEO Roundtable on Cancer, a nonprofit organization of CEOs, founded by former President George H.W. Bush, created the Gold Standard to recognize employers for introducing health and wellness plans to benefit their employees.

The key parts of those plans include: 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.