The Allegheny County Board of Health introduced a proposal Wednesday night that would require all employers in the county to provide 18 weeks of paid parental leave.
The measure aims to address public health concerns related to infant and maternal health in the region.
Dr. Iulia Vann, Allegheny County Health Director, emphasized the critical need for paid parental leave, describing it as a public health concern.
“We need to be able to work this into our upstream practices in order to make sure we address infant mortality, maternal morbidity, mental health, postpartum depression, all of these pieces that work together to really create wellbeing for our community,” Dr Vann said.
Preliminary data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System indicates that approximately 42% of women who give birth in Allegheny County are currently able to take parental leave.
“So from an economic perspective, making them financially stable during this critical time is really important because we know that finances and economic stability is a social driver of health,” Dr. Vann said.
Dr. Vann shared her own experience, stating that with her second child, she was only able to take two weeks of vacation in a previous jurisdiction. Vann had to rely on her husband to provide care during those critical months.
The proposed requirement is anticipated to face pushback from businesses. A similar initiative in 2015, when the City of Pittsburgh passed a paid sick leave bill, resulted in a four-year legal battle. The state Supreme Court ultimately ruled in the city’s favor.
The proposal will now undergo a public comment period, which will last at least 30 days. Following this period, the Board of Health will vote on the measure and then send it to the Allegheny County Council for review.
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