The Paid Leave Podcast

Preventing Sexual Violence and Creating Support for Survivors and Families

Approximately 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 boys or men experience attempted or sexual assault in the USA. In this episode of The Paid Leave Podcast, we are talking about sexual violence and assault because April is Sexual Assault Awareness month. I have two women who work in this space joining me to talk about this. Beth Hamilton is the Executive Director of the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, the statewide coalition of community-based sexual assault crisis services programs. And Sharon Walker Epps is the Chief Executive Officer of The Rowan Center in Stamford and covers lower Fairfield County. The Rowan Center is part of the Alliance and exists to prevent sexual violence and other trauma, respond to crisis when harm occurs, and support adult and youth survivors on their path to healing. Beth explains the work of the Connecticut Alliance, including policy advocacy, training, and direct service to survivors. She describes the unique services provided by the Alliance, such as legal representation and post-conviction advocacy. Sharon provides an overview of the Rowan Center's services, including crisis response, counseling, and education. She highlights the efforts of the Rowan Center to educate parents and provide resources through the Kids Safe HQ initiative. They both talk about their own personal stories of sexual violence and abuse and are passionate about the hard work they do. They both support CT Paid Leave as an important tool they can use for their own workers and people who use safe leave after surviving a sexual assault. For more information or to get in touch with The Alliance to End Sexual Violence, https://endsexualviolencect.org (endsexualviolencect.org) Phone: 860-282-9881 - For information or to get in touch with the Rowan Center, https://therowancenter.org (therowancenter.org) Phone: 203-348-9346 For information or to apply for benefits like safe leave, please go to ctpaidleave.org https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US [https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US] https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave [https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.instagram.com/ctpaidleave/ [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave]

How a Maternal Health Blueprint Plans to Help Black Mothers Survive and Thrive

In this episode of The Paid Leave Podcast, I speak with the two women who helped to craft the Maternal Health Equity: A Blueprint for Connecticut. I am speaking with Tiffany Donelson, the President and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation, and with Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, the Associate Dean for Health Equity Research and the Director of Equity Research and Innovation Center at Yale. (ERIC) April it is National Minority Health Month, it’s also Black Maternal Health Week April 11th-17th and it is national public health week from April 6th-12th. Black women in Connecticut are much more likely as their white counterparts to experience severe maternal morbidity, and the state ranks 35th in the nation. Tiffany and Marcella discuss how they created the Maternal Health Equity Blueprint. Tiffany expresses pride in the blueprint's comprehensive approach and the inclusion of diverse voices. Marcella emphasizes the importance of awareness and engagement in addressing maternal health disparities. They both highlight that black women in Connecticut are twice as likely to experience severe maternal morbidity compared to white women. The blueprint aims to address these disparities through policy changes, community engagement, and leveraging existing resources like Connecticut's paid leave program. They emphasize the importance of economic security and job protection for maternal health outcomes. To read about the Maternal Health Equity: A Blueprint for Connecticut, go to, CT Health releases blueprint for maternal health equity in Connecticut | CT Health Foundation [https://www.cthealth.org/latest-news/news-releases/ct-blueprint-maternal-health-equity/] For more information about CEO Tiffany Donelson at the CT Health Foundation please go to, Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) | Changing Health Systems [https://www.cthealth.org/]  (cthealth.org) For information about the Equity and Innovation Center (ERIC) please go to,Equity Research and Innovation Center (ERIC) | Equity Research and Innovation Center (ERIC) [https://medicine.yale.edu/internal-medicine/genmed/eric/] For more information about Dr, Marcella Nunez-Smith please go to, Marcella Nunez-Smith, MD, MHS | Yale School of Medicine [https://medicine.yale.edu/profile/marcella-nunez-smith/] For more information or to apply for benefits please go to, ctpaidleave.org https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US [https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US] https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave [https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.instagram.com/ctpaidleave/ [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave]

A Doctor is Helping Women Get Healthier and Using Social Media as a Tool

In this episode of The Paid Leave Podcast, we are talking to a doctor who is a social media influencer about her expertise in telehealth. March is Women’s Health Month and International Women's Day is March 8th, and my guest is a leader in women’s health and longevity medicine. Dr Tania Elliott is dual board certified in Internal Medicine and Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Dr. Elliott embraced telemedicine first as a physician, and then as Medical Director of Doctors on Demand. She is currently Chief Medical Officer of Virtual Care at Ascension, one of the largest healthcare systems in the country including 150 hospitals in 20 states. She serves regularly as a healthcare broadcast media expert and is featured on top shows including Good Morning America, Rachael Ray, Dr. Oz, Dr. Phil, The Doctors, and CBS This Morning. She has over 250 million likes on her social media platforms. Dr. Elliott discusses the importance of paid leave programs like Connecticut's for new parents. She highlights the benefits of extended leave for bonding with babies and prenatal care. She emphasizes the long-term impact of postpartum care and the need for extended support. To follow Dr. Tania Elliott go to Dr. Tania Elliott | Doctor [https://www.taniaelliottmd.com/] Follow Dr. Tania Elliott on social media on Facebook @TaniaElliott on Instagram @drtaniaelliott on Tik Tok @drtaniaelliott For more information or to apply for benefits go to ctpaidleave.org https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US [https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US] https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave [https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.instagram.com/ctpaidleave/ [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave]

A Mother Raises Awareness and Advocates for Her Son and Others with Down Syndrome

In this episode of The Paid Leave Podcast, we speak with Kandi Pickard, the CEO of the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS). Down Syndrome Awareness Week is celebrated across the world from March 15 to March 21 every year. The purpose of the week is to create awareness about individuals with Down syndrome and the difficulties they might face in their lives.  About 5,000 babies are born every year in the USA with Down syndrome. Due to advances in medical technology, individuals with Down syndrome are living longer than ever before. With 80 percent living past 60 years old. In March it is also National Developmental Disabilities Awareness month. Kandi Pickard provides vision and leadership, working collaboratively with individuals and organizations like CT Laid Leave, to support the entire Down syndrome community.  Kandi’s involvement in the Down syndrome community first started as a local volunteer and advocate after her youngest son, Mason was born with Down syndrome. Ten years later, she leads NDSS with a focus on building community and keeping people with Down syndrome at the center of everything the organization does. Kandi says that CT Paid Leave is a great resource for caregivers, and for those with chronic health conditions. She says the flexibility to take time and be allowed varying lengths of leave aligns with the mission of the NDSS. To get in Touch with NDSS please go to their website: National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) [https://ndss.org/] For questions or to apply for benefits please go to our website: CT Paid Leave [https://www.ctpaidleave.org/?language=en_US] https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US [https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US] https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave [https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.instagram.com/ctpaidleave/ [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave]

How Paid Time Off Helps Protect Maternal Mental Health and Well-Being

In this episode of The Paid Leave Podcast, we are focusing on women's mental health and well-being, and the challenges pregnancy can have before and after the baby is born. March 8th is International Women’s Day. This Day gives focus to issues like gender equality, reproductive rights and violence and abuse against women.  International Women’s Day serves as a platform to address the mental health issues that disproportionately affect women. While mental health conditions can affect anyone, women face unique challenges due to societal pressures, biological factors, and caregiving responsibilities. My guest on this episode is the Founder & Executive Director of the Alliance Center in Stamford, Carolyn Kagan. Carolyn is a licensed clinical social worker and perinatal psychotherapist who designed a holistic maternal mental health practice that provides individual therapy, group support, yoga, and wellness programming for expecting new and experienced mothers and their families. Carolyn talked about the benefits of CT Paid Leave with moms and caregivers. She also sees the benefits as an employer who has had a worker take CT Paid Leave when their baby was premature. She sees how paid leave benefits the retention of good workers because they come back to work as a more whole version of themselves. To get in touch with Carolyn at The Alliance Center go to their website at The Alliance Center | Rooted in Motherhood | Stamford, CT [https://www.thealliancecenterct.com/] (thealliancecenterct.com). For more information or to apply for benefits please go to CT Paid Leave [https://www.ctpaidleave.org/?language=en_US]  (ctpaidleave.org). https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US [https://ctpaidleave.org/s/?language=en_US] https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave [https://www.facebook.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.instagram.com/ctpaidleave/ [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave [https://twitter.com/CTPaidLeave] https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ct+paid+leave]