The Cancer Service Program of Oneida, Madison and Herkimer Counties presented Chairman of the Board John Becker with a Cancer Screening Champion award at the Dec. 6 Madison County Board of Supervisors meeting. The award is in recognition of the county’s commitment to employee health and wellness by expanding the “Cancer Screening – Time Away From Work” policy to eight hours of paid leave annually.
Madison County was the first employer in the county to adopt this important expanded policy in July 2015.
New York state requires all municipalities to offer four hours of paid time for breast cancer screening and four hours of paid time for prostate cancer screening annually. Madison County worked with the Cancer Service Program and its Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Committee to expand that policy to eight hours of paid leave for screening of any type of cancer.
The county has been tracking the use of cancer screening time and its impact. In the year following the adoption of the policy, more employees are using the screening time, and the health plan is showing a savings related to the early detection of some cancers, according to a county press release.
“The expansion of this policy allows employees to focus on their own health and has raised their awareness of the importance of cancer screening,” said Becker.
Wendy Hunt, program manager for the Oneida County Cancer Services Program, said, “We hope that we will continue to see employers follow Madison County’s lead in adopting policies that provide employees paid time for cancer screening leave. Getting screened is our best tool for the early detection of cancer, and early detection is the key to successful treatment and survival rates.”
