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Good Days president says Connecticut paid leave helps people with chronic illness stay in care
Summary
Clorinda Walli, president of Good Days, told the Paid Leave Podcast that Connecticut's paid leave program — which provides up to 12 weeks of income replacement — can prevent patients from delaying treatment and ease financial strain. Walli also said Good Days has delivered tens of thousands of grants in Connecticut.
Clorinda Walli, president of Good Days, said on the Paid Leave Podcast that Connecticut’s paid leave program, which offers up to 12 weeks of income replacement, can be ‘‘the difference between receiving timely treatment and delaying care because they can’t afford it.’’
Walli, who described a decades-long career in specialty pharmacy and her own experience living with ulcerative colitis and related complications, told host Nancy Barrow that paid leave helps people with chronic conditions manage flare-ups, surgery and ongoing therapy without losing income or employment. "For people living with chronic illness, access to paid leave can mean the difference between receiving timely treatment and delaying care because they can't afford it," Walli said.
The program described on the podcast allows both block leave (taking a full 12 weeks for a single event such as surgery) and intermittent leave for recurring appointments or therapy sessions, and Barrow noted the benefit also covers mental health treatment and caregiving for family members. Barrow placed Connecticut's program in a broader context, saying other states such as Virginia have recently enacted paid-leave measures and that discussions are underway in New Mexico.
Walli framed paid leave as benefiting both individuals and employers: it reduces the financial strain that can push people to abandon or postpone care and helps employers retain experienced workers. "These programs also benefit employers and communities by helping people remain attached to the workforce, reducing financial hardship, and supporting healthier outcomes," she said.
Good Days, the national nonprofit Walli leads, provides patient assistance grants and other supports when treatments are unaffordable. Walli said that in Connecticut specifically the organization has provided 38,201 grants delivering more than $47,000,000 in financial assistance for copay help, premium assistance, travel support and diagnostic testing since 2008, "as of yesterday" (the podcast did not specify a calendar date for that figure).
Walli also emphasized caregivers’ needs, noting that family members often shoulder emotional and practical burdens and may neglect their own health. She urged people facing new diagnoses to seek peer support, mental health care and advocacy rather than relying only on internet searches.
The podcast concluded with Barrow directing listeners to application and benefit information at ctpaidleave.org and to Good Days contact information in the episode notes. "Connecticut paid leave is a public act with a personal purpose," Barrow said in closing.
