CoxHealth to offer two weeks of paid maternity and paternity time

The new year brings a new benefit to expecting parents at CoxHealth. Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, all benefit-eligible employees will receive two weeks of paid maternity and paternity time upon the birth or adoption of a child.

“We value our employees, and continually evaluate what benefits are most important to them,” says Andy Hedgpeth, vice president of Human Resources at CoxHealth. “Being able to offer paid time off to bond with a new child is something we’re very excited to extend throughout our system.”

The two weeks – available to all parents who have been employed with the system for three months or longer – will be given to all CoxHealth employees system-wide. It comes in addition to extended sick-time coverage and paid time-off that have traditionally been used for maternity leave.

One of the individuals who will benefit from the change is Bailey Young, a nurse in Cox South’s NICU. A soon-to-be mom, Young expresses her excitement over what this change means for her family.

“As a first-time mom, there is so much that is exciting and stressful,” Young says. “This has taken a lot of stress off my plate and my husband’s plate. It is an extra two weeks with my baby without having to worry about bills.”

Young says she would have had about two and a half weeks of paid time-off banked by May, so the new benefit will nearly double that.

“It’s truly a blessing for us. I’m super excited about getting as much bonding time -- and getting all the cuddles and the love -- as I can,” she says. “From our working environment to our benefits, it just shows that CoxHealth cares about us as people. It’s a wonderful place to be a nurse.”