Caregivers in Connecticut are calling on state officials for better conditions and higher pay.

They're seeking a $25 an hour minimum wage, paid time off, affordable healthcare, and a pension for retirement planning.

Chase Bolling is a Personal Care Attendant and member of 1199 Service Employees International Union Northeast.

Originally, he was a machinist, but became a PCA because it wasn't easy to juggle caregiving for his mother-in-law with his full time job.

Bolling said any improvements to caregiver's working conditions must begin with better funding.

"I think the foremost thing would be increasing our budget," said Bolling. "You know, nothing happens in this world without money and you kind of can't take any steps forward or any initiatives towards improving our conditions without first improving our pay, and providing access to benefits."

He added that better funding will be able to provide long-term job security.

Along with PCA's, unpaid family caregivers are facing similar challenges.

According to an AARP report, unpaid family caregivers across the U.S. provided care valued at $600 billion in 2021. That's a $130 billion increase over 2019.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, PCA's - like many of Connecticut's healthcare workers - were dealing with strained working conditions.

During the first few months of the pandemic, there was a shortage of personal protective equipment.

While many healthcare providers have fought for and seen changes in their working conditions, Deidre Murch - vice president and homecare director for SEIU 1199 Northeast - said it hasn't been the same for PCA's.

"What we see is that there are a lot of examples where PCA's have been treated, literally, as invisible," said Murch, "without any of the same recognition or support in wages and benefits as other healthcare providers have."

From here, Murch added that it's now up to state elected officials to take bold steps in uplifting this workforce out of poverty-inducing wages and lacking benefits.




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Florida's new law banning fluoride in public water systems has drawn sharp criticism from dental professionals, who cite decades of evidence supporting its safety and effectiveness in preventing tooth decay.

Dr. Jeff Ottley, president of the Florida Dental Association, warned that the change will lead to a rise in cavities, particularly among children and underserved populations.

"Over the next two to three years, we will see an increase in the number of cavities, particularly in children and older adults who take multiple medications, which cause dry mouth," he said. "Those older adults will start getting cavities along the roof surfaces of their teeth and under existing restorations, like crowns and fillings."

Backers of the ban, including libertarian groups and some GOP legislators, have argued that "fluoride is a choice" and have recommended topical treatments, such as toothpaste, over what they claimed to be "mass medication."

Ottley stressed that fluoride occurs naturally in water, and the ban eliminates adjustments that allow cities to reach optimal levels for dental health.

He also predicted severe consequences, especially for Florida's Medicaid system and rural communities.

"The Medicaid system in Florida already has the lowest reimbursement rate across the country," he said, "and so you're going to have an influx in the number of kids looking, and parents looking to treat their kids who are on Medicaid, and the providers just aren't going to be there."

Ottley warned that higher Medicaid payments will be needed to attract dental-care providers, which he said could lead to ballooning costs.

His interim advice for parents: Seek prescription fluoride vitamins, and everyone should maintain rigorous brushing and flossing routines, cut their sugar intake and avoid post-brushing snacks before bed.


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California lawmakers are considering a bill to ease regulations on birth centers at a time when maternity wards are closing in many counties. Assembly Bill 55 would streamline the licensure process, which allows a birth center to accept Medi-Cal, making midwifery care available to low-income families.

Sandra Poole, health policy advocate with the Western Center on Law and Poverty, said the bill would also no longer require a birthing center to be within 30 minutes of a hospital but instead rely on a transfer plan to address potential emergencies.

"Of course, if you're in an area where the labor and delivery has closed, that's going to be impossible," she explained. "There are 12 counties in the State of California that have absolutely no labor and delivery wards at all in the county."

Birth centers are non-hospital, homelike facilities for low-risk pregnancies. At least 40% of California's birth centers have closed since 2020, and just four of the 37 remaining centers are licensed, because the current licensing process is unnecessarily burdensome, according to a study published today by the Western Center on Law and Poverty, in partnership with the California Black Women's Health Project and the Black Women for Wellness Action Project.

The study also surveyed patients on the merits of birth centers. Holly Drayton is a mother and former doula from the Santa Barbara area.

"For people to have that option would really give them the opportunity to choose the birth that they want in an environment where they do feel comfortable to labor in the way that they're supported, to make it the best possible outcome," Drayton said.

Sarah Archer, a mother who supports birth centers, said they are an important part of the state's health care system, and are proved to reduce pre-term births.

"People deserve choices in the way they want to give birth, not just in a sterile hospital," she explained. "It's a very safe, very quiet, beautiful, serene environment versus a medical setting."

The bill has passed the State Assembly and is now before the Senate Health Committee.

The Illinois Department of Public Health said the first positive test for West Nile virus in 2025 has been detected in Winnebago County near Rockford.

Health officials warned people in the infected area and elsewhere to take precautions to avoid the mosquito-borne disease, which is expected to spread across the state. Last year, Illinois reported 69 cases of West Nile, with 13 reported human deaths.

Sameer Vohra, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said evidence of the disease usually emerges this time of year.

"In Illinois, we typically see the first environmental positive test for West Nile in mid- to late May," Vohra explained. "Mosquitoes typically emerge in the spring and are active until the first hard frost of the year."

Vohra noted West Nile virus is an endemic disease in Illinois, meaning it is commonly found in the state. Public health officials are highlighting the importance of taking action to "Fight the Bite" during National Mosquito Control Awareness Week, which runs from June 18-24.

Vohra pointed out most people who are bitten by infected mosquitoes do not contract the disease but one in five will show symptoms ranging from mild discomfort to a serious and possibly fatal illness.

"Right now, there's no treatment for West Nile virus," Vohra emphasized. "But supportive care is really important, especially if you're developing symptoms or you're that one of 150 people that can develop severe illness."

Public health officials have advised Illinoisians to wear long sleeves and pants outdoors, use Environmental Protection Agency-approved insect repellent and stay indoors during peak mosquito hours at dawn and dusk. They also recommend trying to keep mosquitoes from breeding.

"One way to do that is to dump any standing water," Vohra advised. "Examples of that include flowerpots, children's toys, pet bowls, bird baths, buckets, used tires, abandoned swimming pools, any place where you can get standing water."


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