Sarah Boden for Spotlight PA
Sarah Boden is an independent health journalist in Pittsburgh, PA.
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Access to paid leave in Pennsylvania is generally determined by where residents live and work. This includes the legislature, which grants paid parental leave to House staffers but not Senate ones. -
The funding helps Pennsylvania purchase and administer vaccines, monitor the spread of infectious diseases like measles, and contact people who might have been exposed to dangerous pathogens. -
Former Gov. Tom Wolf created a child advocate role in 2019 to prevent abuse in state facilities, but its lack of legal authority has led to turnover. -
But the money will run out by the end of 2026 and funders want state lawmakers to provide a more permanent solution to the low wages and limited availability common to the child care industry. -
Some new Pennsylvania parents pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for pregnancy and childbirth care. When they can’t afford these costs, the resulting debt affects their finances and health. -
Hunger affects students’ grades and health, but thousands of Pennsylvania kids fall just outside the income threshold for even reduced lunch. Advocates say free lunch for all is the solution. -
Businesses and advocates for families say the Democrat’s $55 million proposal would make child care in Pennsylvania more available and keep parents in the workforce. -
The rules prevent a health system from pushing dismissed doctors out of town and keeping patients in the dark, but critics say it's still too narrow. -
When someone with dementia loses their ability to have empathy, caring for them can become isolating and fraught, research shows. -
Employers in Pennsylvania offer bereavement leave at their own discretion, so workers who experience a death in the family aren’t always guaranteed time off.
