The Paid Leave Podcast

Studies have shown that taking paternity leave helps fathers to feel less stressed, anxious, and depressed. The reason this happens is because of a hormone called oxytocin. When released, it promotes bonding and reduces stress levels. 43 percent of fathers are taking bonding leave through CT Paid Leave. This gives fathers time away from work with income replacement so they can bond with their baby...

In this episode of The Paid Leave Podcast, host Nancy Barrow focuses on Lyme and tick-borne diseases. Lyme disease is the fastest growing vector borne infectious disease in the United States. The CDC says more people are infected with Lyme disease, than breast cancer. Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases come with a lot of unknowns. Before starting to treat symptoms, you must first get a pro...

May is Maternal Mental Health Month . During the month, the focus is on increasing awareness about mental health and the well-being of mothers during pregnancy and the time after birth. About 10-15% of women experience postpartum depression. Mental health issues are the most common complication of childbirth. Doulas can help alleviate some of the emotional stress and burden from a parent as they h...

National Infertility Awareness Week is April 21-27. The week is an observance that aims to raise awareness about infertility, provide support, and foster conversations around this critical health issue. Roughly one out of six people experience infertility. The chance to expand a family can take time away from work to focus on testing, diagnostics, and treatment.  Dr. Maya Barsky is a lead physicia...

April is Autism Acceptance Month. According to the CDC, in 2023 one in 36 children were diagnosed as falling somewhere on the autism spectrum. The cost of caring for people with autism is predicted to reach $461 billion by 2025 in the U.S. Alanna, who has three children, knew very early on that something was different about her youngest son Lawson. She had to wait 2 years for further testing, and...

March is National Kidney Month. The average cost of a kidney transplant in the United States ranges from $300,000 to $500,000. This figure includes pre-transplant evaluations, the surgery itself, post-operative care, immunosuppressant medications, and follow-up appointments. Programs like CT Paid Leave can help with up to 12 weeks of income replacement while you heal from major surgery.    Nick Ar...

Every 21 seconds, someone suffers from a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the United States. Most people don't know about brain injuries until it happens to them or a loved one. The Brain Injury Alliance of Connecticut (BIAC) is a non-profit organization that provides resources and support for individuals suffering from brain injuries, whether mild or severe. BIAC extends that support to famil...

The last day of February is Rare Disease Awareness Day. You may not know much about rare diseases, but they do affect 1 out of 10 people across the world, and half of those are children. There are more Americans (30 million) who have a rare disease, more than all the people who have either HIV, heart disease or stroke. Having a rare disease can be a long and frustrating road for the patient and th...

Eating Disorders Awareness week is from February 26th to March 3rd. Something you may not know, is that eating disorders affect people of every age, race, size, gender identity, sexual orientation and background and about 28.8 million Americans will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime.  Eating Disorders have the highest mortality rate of any other psychiatric illness (aside from the re...

January is National Cervical Health Awareness Month. The American Cancer Society says about 13,820 new cases of invasive cervical cancer will be diagnosed this year and about 4,360 women will die from cervical cancer.  CT paid Leave can help women going through any stage of this disease with income replacement benefits, and flexibility with different types of leave options. You can get up to 12 we...

January is National Birth Defects Awareness Month. Every 4 ½ minutes, a baby is born with a birth defect in the United States according to the CDC That means nearly 120,000 babies are affected by birth defects each year. Birth defects can occur during any stage of pregnancy. Most birth defects occur in the first 3 months of pregnancy, when the organs of the baby are forming.  However, some birth d...

Endometriosis is a painful chronic disease that affects over 160 million women worldwide, 10 million across the United States and in Connecticut 1 in 10 women have it. The only way to get an accurate diagnosis is with surgery and that can cost somewhere between 20 and 30 thousand dollars or more. The cost of the surgery can be a huge barrier to get treatment for this debilitating condition. Connec...

December is HIV/Aids Awareness Month.   While the treatments for HIV have prolonged life expectancy, there is no cure yet. HIV it is considered a chronic illness or a chronic health condition. Since the first cases of HIV were reported more than 40 years ago, 78 million people have become infected with HIV and 35 million have died from AIDS-related illnesses. Kayce Harding is the director of the C...

About 3.4 million people have epilepsy nationwide, and about 36,000 people have epilepsy in Connecticut. Monica Anzelone is the Program and Services Manager for the Epilepsy Foundation of Connecticut. Monica talked about the many programs and services offered to patients and family members at the foundation, including behavioral health. Monica brought along epilepsy patient 32-year-old James who h...

November is National Family Caregivers Month.  58% of caregivers are women. Almost one-third of caregivers provide care at least 20 hours a week.  About 80 percent of caregivers care for adults aged 50 or older, and one in 6 non-caregivers expects to become a caregiver within two years. Caregiver leave under CT Paid Leave allows you to take time away from work to care for a loved one who is underg...

In Connecticut, 1/3 of all criminal court cases involve domestic violence. Everyday dozens of victims seeking help can’t get it and are turned away from critical services, including shelters. Earlier this month a report claimed that Connecticut shelters were at 150 percent capacity. Some agencies were trying to get hotel rooms because of a lack of space. Whether you call it family violence, domest...

One in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Most are over the age of 50 when they are diagnosed, but not all of them are. Bianca was 2 days shy of her 30th birthday. She had a 2-year-old son, when she got her diagnosis. She was diagnosed with invasive ductal breast cancer and found it herself during her monthly self-breast exam. Her journey of survival began with chemo,...

Alcohol and drug addiction are significant public health issues. The financial challenges hit not only the person but their family, community and caregivers. The annual cost for substance abuse treatment is over 600 billion dollars. Each year, 16 million or 6 percent of Americans over the age of 12 abuse prescription drugs. Kevin Shuler is a Recovery Coach Program Manager for CCAR, (Connecticut Co...

National Recovery Month, which started in 1989, is a national observance held every September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, and to recognize the dedication of service providers and communities who make recovery possible. This is just a portion of President Biden's proclamation about National Recovery Month: " During National Recovery Month, w...

August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month and today we're looking at things from a doctor's point of view. Breastfeeding isn't always easy and for the best health outcomes the American Academy of Pediatrics( AAP) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for about six months, followed by continued breastfeeding with foods for at least two years and beyond as mutually desired. My guest is Dr....

August is Breastfeeding Awareness Month. Breastfeeding has proven to have health benefits for both mothers and babies in high-income and low-income settings, yet less than 50% of babies worldwide are breastfed according to World Health Organization. Meanwhile, the commercial milk formula industry generates revenues of about $55 billion each year. The guests on this podcast are Monica Belyea who is...

Out of 186 countries, 96 percent provide some pay to women who are on maternity leave.  81 countries provide paid leave to fathers. The United States lags far behind. Our focus today is how paid leave affects many things including families and business, and women's earning potential. Maya Rossin-Slater is an Associate Professor of Health Policy at Stanford University School of Medicine. She i...

Many parents return to work soon after a child’s birth. In fact, in the United States, 1 in 4 mothers, primarily those with lower income, return just two weeks after delivering their child.    CT Paid Leave offers up to 12 weeks of income replacement to parents to bond with their child.    Commissioner Beth Bye from the Office of Early Childhood, is an education specialist, and she was an early ad...

June is Pride Month. "Blood is thicker than water," however for many people, family isn't just about blood — it's about deep, meaningful connections.  During Pride month you may hear the words "chosen family".  A chosen family is a family you choose to have in your life that loves and supports you the way a blood family would. My guest Robin McHaelen  is well-known lo...

Pride Month is all about celebrating the LGBTQ+ community and advocating for their rights—and the medical field is no exception to this. Health care should be inclusive and respectful for everyone, no matter their gender identity or who they love. The challenges include gaps in coverage, affordability, stigma, discrimination and poor treatment from healthcare professionals. Katie Tierney is the Me...