Corporate Community Can Improve Health By Participating In American Cancer Society Study

The metro Atlanta corporate community has an extraordinary opportunity to have a major impact on the health of not only its employees but of all Georgia residents.

The American Cancer Society is seeking 5,000 metro Atlanta residents to enroll in its landmark Cancer Prevention Study 3 (CPS-3) March 1-15, and Atlanta businesses, with more than 2.5 million employees, can play a key role in the campaign.

CPS-3 follows the Society’s two previous studies that made the definitive link between smoking and lung cancer, and obesity and cancer, and CPS-3 is expected to produce the same kinds of life-saving information. CPS-3 will help researchers better understand the lifestyle, environmental and genetic factors that cause or prevent cancer.

Cancer is personal for me and my family. My daughter, Meghan, was diagnosed with leukemia when she was just two and a half years old. Thanks to our strong faith in God and continued progress in cancer research, Meghan is now 18 and enjoying her freshman year in college.

It’s so important to the survival of people like my daughter that new developmentscontinue to come out of research. As the Society’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. John Seffrin, says, we need to finish the fight against cancer, and CPS-3 can help us do that. The information from the study will help save thousands and thousands of lives every year, not just in Atlanta or Georgia but nationwide.

Because Georgia Power knows the quality of life in our communities directly affects the success of our business, our company and its employees are dedicated to being good stewards in our community and fighting cancer. Virtually all of our employees have been touched by cancer, either directly or when one of their loved ones fights the battle. They respond by donating their time and resources to support the American Cancer Society’s annual Relay for Life, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to support cancer prevention and treatment.

Because the health and well-being of our employees is our No. 1 goal, we provide our employees with a range of preventative screenings, wellness physicals and a wide range of resources, including a physician referral service, to better manage their health, including life-threatening conditions.

In addition to the many personal reasons for fighting cancer; the Georgia Power family also has solid business reasons to be in the fight. The No. 1 health condition among our high-cost claims is for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Diagnosis and treatment for all types of cancer continues to account for more than 10 percent of Southern Company and Georgia Power’s health care spending each year. Cancer diagnosis and treatment continues to consistently rank in the top five health conditions for both Southern Company and Georgia Power. Most companies in metro Atlanta probably have similar statistics.

I’m proud to say that Georgia Power held a company CPS-3 enrollment in November and signed up 110 of its employees for the study. Georgia Power is also a CPS-3 corporate promotional partner, helping to get the word out to the metro Atlanta community about the importance of the study.

I urge all businesses in metro Atlanta to get involved. Go to www.cps3atlanta.com to get more information or to sign up for the study. Talk to the Society about what your company can do to support CPS-3 by visiting www.cps3.atlanta.com or calling 1-888-604-5888.