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Connecticut Paid Leave highlights 12 weeks of mental‑health leave and urges outreach to Hispanic communities
Summary
On a Paid Leave podcast episode, host Nancy Barrow and guest Evelyn Alejandro discuss mental‑health stigma in the Hispanic community and the state program’s benefits, including up to 12 weeks of income replacement for serious mental‑health conditions and caregiver leave. Listeners were directed to ctpaidleave.org and Mental Health Connecticut resources.
On the Paid Leave podcast, host Nancy Barrow spoke with entrepreneur and nonprofit leader Evelyn Alejandro about mental‑health stigma in the Hispanic community and how Connecticut’s paid‑leave program can help. "We give up to 12 weeks of income replacement for mental health," Barrow said, adding that the program also covers caregiver leave when a health‑care provider deems a condition serious.
The episode put a personal face on the program and its purpose. Alejandro described growing up with a father who had schizophrenia and a mother who had bipolar disorder, and she said both parents kept their diagnoses private because of stigma. "I don't think many people know that they can take leave for mental health or that they can take leave for caregiving," Alejandro said, arguing that outreach is needed because many Hispanic households serve as family caregivers.
Why this matters: Connecticut Paid Leave provides time away from work with partial wage replacement for people who need treatment for serious health conditions and for workers who must care for close relatives. Barrow emphasized availability for ongoing treatment such as therapy and for caregiver leave; the host directed listeners to ctpaidleave.org for applications and more information.
Alejandro also discussed supports available through Mental Health Connecticut, where she has engaged with programs such as the Art of Well‑Being, residential rehabilitation and services for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing. She said those programs and local guidance counselors were important to her recovery after her mother's death and to her ability to pursue higher education and community leadership.
The conversation combined personal testimony—Alejandro recounted her parents' diagnoses and her mother's death in a car accident—with practical information about benefits and outreach. Barrow closed by encouraging listeners to consult the program website and to consider paid leave as a resource for mental‑health treatment and caregiving needs.
For more information or to apply for benefits, the podcast directs listeners to ctpaidleave.org; Alejandro also referenced Mental Health Connecticut's resources at mhconn.org.
