New Report: Paid Sick Days Health Impact Assessment

Posted by on July 13, 2009

New Research Confirms Public Health Benefits of National Paid Sick Days Law

Guaranteeing workers the chance to earn paid sick days would significantly improve the nation’s health, according to powerful new research into the impact of legislation that would give workers a minimum standard of paid sick days that they could use to care for themselves or their family members.  Researchers at Human Impact Partners and the San Francisco Department of Public Health are jointly releasing a study – a Health Impact Assessment – of the Healthy Families Act, a national law which proposes to let employees at firms with at least 15 employees earn up to seven paid sick days a year. The assessment finds that the Healthy Families Act would have a profoundly positive effect on public and individual health. The HIA finds that more than one-third of flu cases are transmitted at schools and workplaces, and that guaranteed paid sick days would reduce the spread of pandemic and seasonal flu. Infected workers staying home could reduce the spread of a pandemic flu virus by up to 34%, according to the study.  To access the full report and summary, visit: http://humanimpact.org/PSD/