PathWays PA Policy Blog

On September 3, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter signed legislation ensuring that mothers working in the city will now have access to reasonable accommodation when it comes to expressing breast milk. The bill, which takes effect immediately, means that mothers must have access to unpaid break time or be able to use paid time in order to express milk. They must also have access to a safe, sanitary place to do so - and that place cannot be a bathroom. The new legislation is part of the Fair Practices Ordinance, which is enforced by the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations. To learn more, please visit their website , or call 215-686-4670. Interested in PathWays PA blog posts on similar topics? 5/29/14 - Support Health Care for Military Women and Military Families 4/25/14 -Ask the Senate to Co-sponsor the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act! 4/3/14 - Philadelphia Pregnancy Accommodations Law is Going Into Effect 

From our friends at the National Women's Law Center Women in the military and women in military families serve and sacrifice for our country every day. It only makes sense that we should give them the support they deserve in return, especially when it comes to important health benefits. Unlike most women with private insurance plans - which must cover breastfeeding supplies and counseling - military women and military families lack comprehensive insurance coverage of the same supplies and support under the Department of Defense's TRICARE health care program. In fact, TRICARE only covers a breast pump in extreme circumstances for most women. But a bill currently before Congress would make sure all military women and military families have better coverage of breastfeeding supplies and education.  Breastfeeding benefits both mothers and children, reducing the risk of breast and ovarian cancer in women and asthma, obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and leukemia in children. Women w...

The CDC reported that a national trend of rising obesity rates among pre-school age children may be reversing. However, Pennsylvania continues to see an increase.  From 2008 to 2011, the Atlanta-based CDC collected height and weight data from about 11.6 million children ages 2 to 4 who participated in the Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System across 43 U.S. states and territories. This week, the government agency published a report showing that, after decades of rising obesity rates, the prevalence had declined in 19 of the 43 states and territories studied and had remained statistically consistent in 21. But in three states -- Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Colorado -- the childhood obesity rate increased. 12.2% of Pennsylvania pre-schoolers are now considered obese. The report states that factors such as local and state initiatives focused on nutrition and exercise, as well as increases in breastfeeding, might explain in part the trend reversal. But the report gave no clear...

Starting tomorrow thanks to the Affordable Care Act women will be able to receive additional health care services. Any new plans after August 1st will have to include key preventative services without co-pays : Comprehensive contraceptive care: The full range of Food and Drug Administration approved contraceptive methods, including birth control pills, condoms and IUDs as well as sterilization procedures, patient education and counseling for all women with reproductive capacity.  Screening and counseling for intimate partner violence: Screening and counseling for women and adolescents about current and past violence and abuse so that providers can address health concerns about safety and other health problems that may be associated with interpersonal and domestic violence. Screening for gestational diabetes: Screening pregnant women for gestational diabetes, a form of the disease which develops during pregnancy and occurs more often among women of color. Breastfeeding counsel...

Federal Policy Updates  A JOB SHOULD LIFT YOU OUT OF POVERTY, NOT TRAP YOU IN IT Women who earn minimum wage are struggling to make ends meet. The current minimum wage at $7.25 an hour can not support our families. If you support raising the minimum wage sign this petition today . What would raising the federal minimum wage do? Rebuild our economy. For every $1 added to the minimum wage, low-wage worker households spend an additional $2,800 the following year. Ensure a better future for our children. 21.5 million children have a parent who would benefit from a minimum wage increase.  Increase jobs. Increasing the minimum wage would boost consumer spending, which drives 70% of our economy.  Sign this petition today because we deserve the opportunity to work hard and earn enough to support our families! For more information on the benefits of increasing the minimum wage please check out the National Women's Law Center fact sheet . From our friends at 9t...

This spring marked the second anniversary of the new health care reform law and Raising Women's Voices of Southeastern Pennsylvania, a coalition PathWays PA is a member of, celebrated by launching the Countdown to Coverage campaign! This campaign is aimed at helping women understand the concrete ways that the Affordable Care Act is making it easier for women to get the services we need to stay healthy throughout all life stages and across all socioeconomic levels. We are currently counting down to an important milestone for the health care reform law, and more importantly, for women. Starting on August 1, all new insurance plans will have to start covering important preventative health services for women, such as contraception, screening and counseling for domestic violence, annual well-woman visits, and breastfeeding supports, without charging co-pays. Expensive co-pays are a major barrier for women and can prevent us from getting the care we need. This preventative care ...

August 1 is an important milestone for health care reform law, and more importantly, for women. Why? Because starting August 1, 2012, the Affordable Care Act is making it easier to be a woman.  On August 1, all new insurance plans will have to start covering important preventative health care services for women without co-pays, such as… Contraception  Screening and counseling for domestic violence  Annual well-woman visits  Breastfeeding supports, such as counseling and equipment (including rental of breast pumps) Screening for gestational diabetes  HPV testing  STI counseling  HIV screening and counseling  Expensive co-pays have been a major barrier for women in accessing the care we need. In fact, more than half of women have delayed or avoided preventative care because of its cost. So many women are not aware of the benefits provided by the preventative health care provision of the Affordable Care Act that will begin to tak...

As the Supreme Court’s decision on the Affordable Care Act draws closer we wanted to remind you of some of the things women stand to gain from the ACA as highlighted by the Center for American Progress . 1. The ACA guarantees coverage of preventive services with no cost sharing. Under the health reform law, insurers are now required to cover recommended preventive services such as mammograms, Pap smears, and well-baby care without cost sharing. More than 45 million women have already taken advantage of these services. And starting this August more services, including contraception, gestational diabetes screening, and breastfeeding supports, will be added to the list of preventive care that must be covered at no additional cost. 2. Maternity care will be required in new insurance plans. Once is fully implemented in 2014, about 8.7 million women will have guaranteed access to maternity care in all new individual and small group plans. 3. Women will no longer be denied insura...

FEDERAL POLICY UPDATE Debt ceiling deal likely Today, both chambers of Congress are likely vote on a debt ceiling compromise – one that will lift the ceiling through the end of 2012. According to the plan overall there will be $2.4 trillion in budget cuts over the next decade and special commission will be created to find more cost-cutting measures. There are no revenue items in the deal. It is unclear where exactly where these cuts will be made, however, for now, government programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are exempt from the budget cuts. Other programs like Women Infants and Children, Head Start, and LIHEAP are not immune. For more information about this deal please click here . Also be sure to tell your legislator how you feel about this plan . HHS Announces Preventative Services Coverage through ACA Historic new guidelines that will ensure women receive preventive health services at no additional cost were announced today by the U.S. Department...

Yesterday, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report which determined that contraception and several other services should be considered preventive care as they improve the health of women . The report recommends that all of these services be covered without co-pays or deductibles. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius is expected to use these recommendations to issue the government’s final decision on this issue by August 1st. In addition to contraceptive services for women, the panel recommended that the government require health plans to cover screening to detect domestic violence, screening for H.I.V, and counseling and equipment to promote breastfeeding, including the free rental of breast pumps. The report also found that all insurers should be required to cover screening for gestational diabetes in pregnant women, DNA testing for the human papillomavirus as part of cervical cancer screening, and annual preventive-care visits. Such visits could ...

COME TO THE RALLY AND HEARING ON EARNED SICK DAYS! Everyone Gets Sick— Not Everyone Has the Time to Get Better 2 out of every 5 workers in Philadelphia do NOT have a single paid sick day. Help Us Tell City Council to Give ALL Workers a Chance to Earn Paid Sick Days. WHEN: March 1, 2011 9:00 AM WHERE: Room 401, Philadelphia City Hall Join the Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces at City Hall for a Rally and Press Conference and then help us pack the Hearing Room to show the importance of this bill. Enter City Hall at the north-east corner and remember to bring a picture ID. Register to attend at: http://rallyforearnedsicktime.eventbrite.com Even if you have paid sick days remember a majority of restaurant, child care, and health care workers do not—the lack of paid sick days in Philadelphia impacts us all! Federal Policy Update NEW REPORT SHOWS MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WOULD SUFFER UNDER HOUSE BUDGET PLAN At a time when 14 million people are out of work more may beg...

Apologies for not writing about this sooner, but the Policy Department has been in the midst of attending a national conference and preparing for a local hearing on earned sick time.  While we were busy, a budget proposal for the rest of the fiscal year (from March 4 until September 30) was announced, as well as President Obama's proposed budget for 2012. Note: Congressional Staffers are also looking for your thoughts on HR 1.  A new service, POPVOX, is among organizations collecting statements.  To learn more about POPVOX, please visit https://www.popvox.com/home.  Also, The New York Times has put together a graphic representation of the federal budget proposal, showing the various cuts and increases to spending.  You can check it out on their website . Here is a roundup of budget information that we have gathered from our friends and colleagues. Tell us about more in the comments! Adult Education AmeriCorps/Corporation for National and Community S...

A new study released today finds that California's Paid Family Leave program - the first of only two state programs in the country that offer paid leave to workers when they take time off to care for a new child or sick family member - has received high marks from employers and employees alike since its implementation six years ago. The study, by researchers from UCLA/CUNY and the Center for Economic and Policy Research, is the first to examine the California program and finds that initial business concerns over the costs or potential abuse of the program were unfounded, and that the economic, social and health benefits of paid family leave have been extensive. As a national model for how states can adopt work-family policies that meet the needs of 21st century families, the California study offers valuable insights as policymakers in Pennsylvania consider similar proposals. "California's experience shows that paid family leave is a win-win for employers and employees,...

PathWays PA Offers Expedited Career Path to First Responders and EMT PathWays PA is offering eligible job seekers free education and training to achieve certification as a First Responder followed by Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) certification. Successful candidates will have: Achieved qualifying scores on WorkKeys® Assessment Clean criminal background check No back problems or physical restrictions The ability to lift 125 pounds 33 inches off the ground and carry for 10 feet Willingness to working with and touch all people A valid drivers license (or the ability to obtain one during training) Ability to pay attention to detail and flexibility to change course as circumstances warrant Willingness to work different shifts and weekends If the above qualifications are met, then an individual may be eligible for the training, which includes: 6 weeks of Math/English Skills building classes CPR Training and Certification 50 hours of First Responder Training ...