CALIFORNIA CHRONICLE, APRIL 20, 2009
OAKLAND - New research findings show that paid sick days may help limit food-borne disease outbreaks thereby protecting the health of workers and individuals in the State of California. New evidence released today by the Human Impact Partners (HIP) and researchers at the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPF) demonstrates that food handling by sick workers contributes to a substantial share of foodborne disease outbreaks in California. In one case, an employee with confirmed norovirus (stomach flu) illness was implicated in an outbreak of the disease at a restaurant and infected 80 people.
According to Dr. Rajiv Bhatia MD, MPH, Director of Environmental Health for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, Between 2003 and 2007, California had 67 reported food-borne disease outbreaks occurring in restaurants, schools, day care centers and hospitals that were traced back to an ill food service worker. These outbreaks were responsible for 1,955 cases of illness.
The new research data supports findings of the HIP and SFDPHs 2008 study Health Impact Assessment of the California Healthy Families, Healthy Workplaces Act that providing paid sick days for all workers would improve the health of all Californians. Other preliminary results also show that having paid sick days appears to facilitate access and use of outpatient medical care for working adults, potentially limiting more expensive emergency room and hospital care.
Currently over 5 million of California´s workers lack the ability to earn and use paid sick days. Those with the least access often work in occupations with high risks of transmitting diseases to the public. Medical and public health professionals have always recognized the commonsense wisdom to stay home from work when sick. The 2008 study by HIP and SFDPH found that paid sick days were least accessible to workers with the greatest need, and that a state mandate for paid sick days would likely reduce the spread of flu and prevent disease outbreaks in restaurants and in nursing homes.
Our research indicates that guaranteeing paid sick days is a commonsense policy that will positively impact the health of anyone who eats or works in restaurants, of families with kids in school or day care, and of seniors who receive care at home or in nursing homes, states Jonathan Heller of Human Impact Partners, one of the authors of the research.
Such new evidence is now spurring a growing health advocacy voice for paid sick days. Using this research, organizations including the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, California Public Health Association-North, Having our Say Coalition and Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles are now mobilizing the public health and medical care communities in support of a paid sick days bill in the California State Legislature – the Healthy Workplaces, Healthy Families Act (AB 1000 - Ma). These groups have sponsored a petition to rally support for paid sick days from the health community.
Guaranteeing a minimum number of paid sick days is a prevention strategy that protects the health of all Californians, says Ellen Wu, Executive Director of California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, When workers can take needed time off without the loss of pay or fear of losing a job, there is decreased risk of an outbreak of disease, opportunities for preventive care, and ultimately, reduced health-care spending.
