LeShea Agnew

More than 50 local groups and businesses have come together to launch a new women's group, formed on the heels of Governor Cuomo's 10 point Women's Equality Act.

The New York Women's Equality Coalition was officially unveiled Thursday at the YWCA in Rochester.

"There are too many barriers holding NY women back. That's not what our mothers, daughters or sisters deserve. It's not what NY stands for. It's time to level the playing field," says members of the Coalition.

More than 1.5 million New Yorkers are eligible for health insurance tax credits, that's according to a new report released Tuesday.

Mandated by the Affordable Care Act, October 1st is the official start of open enrollment for both the credits and insurance coverage options. 

Geneva General Hospital says after May 1st, the hospital will no longer deliver babies.

The understaffed hospital will be reduced from four full-time physicians to only two. The remaining physicians say they'll move their practices 15 miles away to Newark-Wayne Hospital. OBGYN physician Stephanie Ahmed tells WXXI's LeShea Agnew physicians at Geneva General can no longer handle the demands of the short-staffed practice. 

Five students at the University of Rochester have designed a tricycle control system that allows some people with disabilities to steer, brake and shift gears with one hand.

The project is getting international recognition and is a finalist for a da Vinci Award this month. Martin Szeto is one of the students behind the MonoMano system. They worked under the guidance of Professors Laurel Carney and Amy Lerner at the U of R's Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. 

Upstate New York hospitals are making great strides in infection control, that's according to Excellus BlueCross BlueShield. 

According to the report: 

A new report by the New England Journal of Medicine suggests breast cancer radiation may increase a person's risk for long-term heart complications.

Each year, more than 211,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States.  More than 2,100 women were studied and 963 had a "major cardiac event" within 5 years of treatment. 

Dr. Meri Atanas is Chief of Radiation Oncology at Rochester General Health System. She explains to WXXI why she still encourages women to consider radiation as a treatment option despite the study's findings. 

There's a "friendly competition" taking place in the city. 

Monday was the kick off of the Rochester/Finger Lakes Community Blood Pressure Challenge.  The first ever community wide wellness initiative is encouraging everyone to get checked. Click here for more information about the Eat Well Live Well Challenge. 

The likelihood of a school-aged American child being diagnosed with Autism or a related disorder--1 in 50.

That's an increase of 72 % in 2011-2012 according to the Centers for Disease Control. Dr. Susan Hyman is an Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Disabilities specialist at the University of Rochester Medical Center. She further discusses the recent survey and its findings with WXXI's Beth Adams. 

In April,  Dr. Maya Angelou will be in town speaking before a sold-out crowd at the Rochester Institute of Technology in celebration of Women's History Month.

Governor Andrew Cuomo called for marijuana legalization last year but the bill fell in the Senate.

With marijuana possession the number one arrest in New York City, Cuomo continues to promote the idea saying these arrests have "harmful outcomes"--racial disparities, stigma and fiscal waste. Interest groups like NORML agree with the governor. Executive Director of NORML Allen St. Pierre says his organization travels the country lobbying Congress and state legislatures for more rational and cost-effective marijuana policies.