Paid family and medical leave protects all New Mexicans, strengthens our future

With the 2023 Legislative Session underway, New Mexico has an opportunity to support working people and their families while protecting and improving public health. Policymakers are considering paid family and medical leave for residents in our state — and they should act without delay.

As a physician, I see firsthand the challenges countless families face when working to keep their loved ones healthy. Many patients need help when recovering from a heart attack or injuries from a catastrophic accident. All too often, they need a hand in the first few days or weeks after their injury or treatment for an illness. And that helping hand — from a son, a daughter, a parent, a sibling — can make a huge difference in their rest, recovery and healing.

Unfortunately, only a small fraction of New Mexico workers have family and medical leave, and even that is unpaid. When a sick child needs care, a parent should be able to take time off from work to make sure their child is safe and gets well, without worrying about losing their wages. When mom needs help eating or moving around the house as she recovers from a stroke, a few hours a day helping feed, clean and care for her can make a huge difference in her recovery. When a patient with a chronic condition needs a few weeks of care, New Mexicans should be allowed to support their loved ones without the fear of losing a paycheck or even losing a job.

Without paid family leave, we are needlessly punishing people who are already suffering from the stress and worry of a sick child or family member, by withholding their pay and threatening their job.

The status quo forces terrible choices on New Mexicans.

New Mexicans are already struggling with a broken U.S. health care system of rising drug costs and skyrocketing out-ofpocket expenses. By passing paid family and medical leave in our state, legislators and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham can provide much-needed relief for New Mexicans who must care for a loved one or who needs to take time off so they can recover from an illness or injury without losing a paycheck.

Under proposals policymakers and legislators are considering, New Mexico would allow a worker to still get all or most of their income when they take family or medical leave, with up to 12 weeks of paid leave per year. New Mexico’s minimum wage workers will receive their full pay, with higher-wage workers receiving up to 67 percent of their wages.

Medical and health professionals support paid family leave because we see their benefits firsthand.

Paid family and medical leave, already in place in 11 states, encourages new parents to take time off without having to leave the workforce when they have a baby. This allows them to fully heal and bond with their child in the first few weeks of their life. That bonding is also important when parents first adopt or begin fostering a child, which would be covered under paid family and medical leave. Generally, workers who can take time to rest and recover from an illness or an injury are more likely to be healthier, and as a result more productive.

Paid family and medical leave would benefit some of New Mexico’s hardest working people: Bus drivers, grocery workers, restaurant servers, daycare and nursing home employees, and many, many more. Each worker who must clock in while dealing with a prolonged illness because they don’t have paid family and medical leave further threatens their own health and that of those around them.

Paid family and medical leave can help New Mexico break a destructive cycle, where people must work sick or choose between a paycheck and an ailing child or parent. Just as importantly, paid family and medical leave is an essential step toward a healthier, stronger and more prosperous New Mexico.