The Paid Leave Podcast

May is Mental health Awareness month, and with that comes the question of what parents should do if their child is having mental health issues. The Pew Research Center report said mental health was the greatest concern among parents, followed by bullying, which worries 35% of parents. These concerns trumped fears of kidnapping, dangers of drugs and alcohol, teen pregnancy and getting into trouble...

Mental health became a focus during the pandemic as many people struggled with depression or anxiety due to isolation. A recent study from the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) finds that suicide attempts were rising at an alarming rate long before COVID-19.  The study found that Black males had the highest increase in suicide attempts compared to any other race in the group increasin...

Nearly 1 million people are living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in the United States. More women are diagnosed with the disease and colder climates can be a contributing factor. MS can be a very tricky disease to diagnose, but quick treatment can help to slow the progression of the disease.  UConn Medical Center's neurologist Dr. Hamza Coban explains the different types of MS and why a positi...

Death and dying aren’t easy subjects to talk about. In this episode I am talking to an end-of-life doula or a death doula. A death doula is someone who is there to help you emotionally navigate through your own end of life illness or that of a loved one. Nathalie Bonafe is a death doula, who considers her job a privilege to assist family members deal with their complicated emotions and grief surro...

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everyone's lives in one way or another. For some people the battle continues to rage on every day. Long Covid or Long Haul Covid can last years in those that got infected with COVID-19. These symptoms can affect every aspect of their life, and the reason why is elusive.  Yale New Haven Health's Dr. Erica Spatz is an Associate Professor of Cardiology and...

Heart attacks and strokes are responsible for 1 in 3 deaths among women each year – more than all cancers combined.  Close to 80 percent of cardiac and stroke events can be prevented with education and action – which includes learning the risk factors and warning signs most prevalent for women.  UConn Health's cardiologist Supriya Tigadi explains that women's heart attack symptoms are di...

The mental health crisis in adolescents is a growing problem. Three years after the COVID pandemic uprooted life as we knew it, kids are still dealing with many issues causing a number of mental health conditions.  Dr. Laine Taylor,  Medical Director at The Village for Families and Children in Hartford, joins me to discuss mental health in children in this episode. Prior to working at The Village...

It can get confusing when you talk about CT Paid Leave, CT FMLA and Federal FMLA. How do you know if you are eligible for any of these? Our new CEO Erin Choquette is an expert in this field and explains if you are eligible, and how they cover you if you are taking care of your own serious health condition. Erin Choquette was the Chief Operating Officer & General Counsel of the Paid Leave Autho...

 Since 1923 Planned Parenthood of Southern New England has been providing family planning and reproductive health care. It covers Connecticut and Rhode Island and serves about 70,000 people yearly in both states and has 14 health centers across Connecticut. CEO Amanda Skinner talks about the mission of PPSNE, and says it is to protect the fundamental right of all individuals to manage their own fe...

Currently, the United States doesn't have a national paid family and medical leave program. That could change if this plan becomes law in 2023. However, it failed in 2021, and in 2022 was defeated by one vote. Compared to many other countries around the globe, the United States lags far behind when it comes to passing a paid leave program. This leaves many workers and families across the nati...

The need for organ donation in Connecticut and nationally is high. Kidneys are the most needed organ.  The reason for the shortage is that many people do not properly declare their wishes to be an organ donor. The need is even greater for minorities. Today we will discuss why minorities are so skeptical about becoming an organ donor, and what is being done to offset the need.  In this podcast epis...

Hospice is invaluable to patients and caregivers during a critical time.  Studies have shown that approximately 80% of Americans would prefer to die at home, if possible.  Nationwide more than 1.6 million people use Hospice services. The pandemic certainly created challenges for the industry, as it had to change the way it could give care and respite to caregivers in their homes. My guests on this...

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Every year more people die from lung cancer than colon, breast and prostate cancer combined. Lung Cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women, making up more than 25 percent of all cancer deaths.  I spoke with Dr. Omar Ibrahim who is an interventional pulmonologist and top lung cancer doctor at UConn Health, about the differe...

You may remember the Ice Bucket Challenge that went viral a few years ago. It was started by a man diagnosed and who later died from ALS, which stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with no cure. Your body fails, but your mind stays sharp. Every 90 minutes someone is diagnosed with ALS, and someone dies from it. Caregiver Tyler Gaetano knows about...

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It is great to have a month that highlights a disease, and brings awareness about prevention, treatment and survival. The fact remains that one out of every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. CT Paid Leave gives up to 12 weeks of income replacement, so you can take time away from work to deal with your own serious heal...

My guest Sistah Anyango has energy and spirituality to spare. She founded the FLYY movement that gives women a safe space to move, to recover, and to heal. FLYY is the acronym for the Freedom to Love the You in You. It started out as a Zumba class, but it grew into so much more. Sistah Anyango is well equipped as a domestic violence survivor to help other women muscle through trauma, and FLYY on t...

It takes one person's commitment to a cause to create a wave of change. That is true about my guest Connecticut State Senator Julie Kushner, who represents the 24th Senate District that includes Danbury, New Fairfield, Sherman and some parts of Bethel. She has led a life of advocacy and helping others, including her 2018 campaign aimed at getting CT Paid Leave passed in the state. In the  CT...

Caregivers are essential to families. Sometimes they have to make hard choices between taking care of a loved one or working. Connecticut Paid Leave gives them some relief by giving up to 12 weeks of income replacement, so you don't have to make such difficult choices.  The AARP was instrumental in helping to get the Paid Medical and Family Leave Act signed into law, knowing that caregivers n...

Adoption can be  rewarding and life altering for a parent. CT Paid Leave recognizes that adding to your family whether by birth, fostering or adopting, you may need some time to bond with the new addition to your family.  CTPL offers up to 12 weeks of income replacement so parents can take bonding time with their new family and not worry about finances. Guests on the podcast include Connecticut ad...

Caring for a loved one injured during active duty in the Armed Forces can be a full-time job. Hear from two women - Kim Brown and Kasey Timberlake - who were caregivers for their spouses upon their return home from their military deployments. Kim and Kasey talk in detail about the challenges they faced when caring for their husbands, who suffered traumatic brain injuries and PTSD, and the work tha...

There are more than 1.3 million active duty service men and women in the military branches of our country. In Connecticut there are more than 7,000 serving and 5000 more serving in the Guard. That's a lot of families who are effected by their duty to their country.  Active duty  military members can focus on their job, while Connecticut Paid Leave can focus on their families. There are two ty...

Getting CT Paid Leave passed didn't come easy. Host Nancy Barrow talks to the organization that is a strong supporter, advocate and coalition member, the Connecticut Women's Education And Legal Fund (CWEALF).  Executive Director Janée Woods Weber and Policy Director Maddie Granato discuss the long fight to get a paid leave law in the state, and how CWEALF supports and serves women and gi...

Host Nancy Barrow got a chance to speak with the founder and CEO of the Women's Business Development Council (WBDC) Fran Pastore. She believes women are jumping into business ownership, but are still lagging behind in leadership roles in government and big business. She said there is only one female CEO of a Fortune 500 company in Connecticut. Fran is the Board Chairperson for CT Paid Leave,...

It's not easy to be a foster parent. Host Nancy Barrow  talks with two foster care parents about how to navigate the  system. DCF ( The Department of Children and Families) also joins in on the discussion, and talks about the big changes the agency has made over 30 years. It takes a special person to  be a foster parent. Jessika Holmes is a relative foster parent who worked for DCF. She is th...

We need more women in politics.  West Hartford Representative Jillian Gilchrest and Anne Hughes who is a Representative for Weston, Easton and parts of Redding are at the capital fighting for legislation that will help women and families. These two smart and gutsy women talk about the need to inspire more women to run for political office to create more female friendly laws in Connecticut,  like C...