Tiny patients, big fight: NICU parents win leave in 2 states and push for more

NEW YORK (AP) — Parents with newborns in intensive care units have long faced a difficult but overlooked plight: Any parental leave they might have does not take into account the days or even months their newborns spend in intensive care. Many choose to return to work immediately rather than use up leave they will need when their baby comes home. Colorado and Illinois became the first states this year to adopt dedicated neonatal leave programs, galvanizing a grassroots movement for more state programs and a federal policy.