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More than 60 CEOs Sign Pledge to Help End Opioid Addiction
Shared Action Seeks to Reverse Trend of Nationwide Epidemic
RESTON, Va., June 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Leidos (NYSE:LDOS), a FORTUNE® 500 science and technology leader, today announced that more than 60 CEOs from organizations across the country have demonstrated their commitment to helping end the opioid epidemic by signing a CEO Pledge. The Pledge encourages business leaders to create and nurture work environments that are safe for conversations about addiction, to educate employees about the potential dangers of opioids, and to support nonprofit organizations focused on addiction prevention and recovery.
The CEO Pledge is an initiative stemming from an employee's call to action emailed to Leidos CEO and Chairman Roger Krone in late 2017. The employee, John Hindman, had recently lost his son to an opioid overdose and in his email, he strongly encouraged Krone to look into how companies could take action. The goal of the Pledge is to create a coalition of business leaders who openly discuss opioid addiction as well as prevention and recovery resources with employees and professional networks, and in turn, those employees and networks share the information with families and community organizations. The overall emphasis is one of shared action – to build strong relationships across sectors and to encourage collaboration to make a positive and lasting impact. "The opioid epidemic is a significant public health crisis that calls for continued focus on public awareness, and only through strategic efforts can business, government, and community leaders help cause systemic change," said Krone. "There's still much work to be done, but I'm proud to know that more than 60 CEOs have now answered the call to do their part to address this growing health concern in the communities where we live and work." "Without forthright action, the rising trend of fatal opioid overdoses could continue in our country. I am pleased to be among the growing list of CEO Pledge signatories in spreading the word to end the stigma around addiction. Together, we actively support our communities by providing resources, such as Belden's Pathways to Employment program, that boosts both prevention and recovery where our companies have a footprint," said John Stroup, CEO of Belden, Inc. and a CEO Pledge signatory. For more information about the CEO Pledge and companies who have joined the coalition to date, visit https://www.leidos.com/ceo-pledge. About Leidos Statements in this announcement, other than historical data and information, constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements, or industry results to be very different from the results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some of these factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 28, 2018, and other such filings that Leidos makes with the SEC from time to time. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Contact: Suzzanna Martinez
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