Cleveland Clinic Announces Paid Parental Leave Policy

Updated: 2:34 p.m., Wednesday Dec. 18

The Cleveland Clinic announced Wednesday it will offer paid parental leave by April 2020.

Mothers will receive eight weeks of paid maternity leave after childbirth, in addition to the four weeks of paid parental leave offered for all parents.

Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Tom Mihaljevic says this policy will apply to all parents, regardless of gender or whether they adopt or foster. He hopes it will help Cleveland Clinic employees deliver better care.

“There’s always a benefit to every organization to have healthy employees,” he said. “Healthy employees are better engaged. Healthy employees always provide better services.”

Cleveland Clinic is Ohio’s largest private-sector employer, with 52,000 employees in the state. The hospital system employs 66,000 people worldwide. The policy will apply to eligible parents at all of the Clinic's locations, says Mihaljevic.

“We cannot provide the best healthcare for our patients if we do not have healthy caregivers," he said.

The news comes after Congress passed a bill that would give federal employees 12 weeks paid leave for parents of newborns or parents who adopt or foster a child.

Other major employers in Northeast Ohio also offer paid parental leave, including Nestle, which offers 14 weeks of paid leave, and Case Western Reserve University, which offers six weeks to eligible employees.