San Francisco supervisors approve paid leave extension for healthcare workers
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco's Board of Supervisors unanimously approved emergency legislation Tuesday to extend paid leave for the city's health care providers working for large private employers.
The legislation authored by Supervisor Gordon Mar provides two additional weeks of paid leave. The ordinance is pending Mayor London Breed's approval and would go into effect immediately.
“Our doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers are working on front lines in the midst of a pandemic, and it is in the interest of public health to ensure that those workers do not have to go to work if they are sick,” said Mar. “These workers are taking care of us when we need it most; and when they need it most, we need to take care of them.”
The emergency ordinance allows doctors, nurses and other health care workers to access their paid leave if they show symptoms of COVID-19, are recommended to self quarantine, or otherwise do not meet the Center for Disease Control and Prevention return to work guidance for health care providers.
Health care personnel who work for private employers including; Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health, Dignity Health and Northeast Medical Services will all be eligible for the new paid leave.
“This legislation strikes a careful balance between the need to protect our health care workers while ensuring we can maintain adequate staffing of our healthcare workforce during this public health emergency,” said Mar.
The legislation saw broad support from unions, health care worker advocate organizations, as well as the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce.