Health

(03/08/12) The Cuomo Administration is cracking down on insurance companies and health care providers who stick patients with unexpected out of network service bills. In Albany, Karen DeWitt reports. more

(03/08/12) The St. Regis Mohawk Tribe will get a $129,000 grant to build a diabetes center, from USDA rural development.

The USDA allotted $206,900 for the facility last year--the center's expected to cost about $3 million. more

(03/05/12) There's a new effort in Albany to pass a bill that would bring about a major expansion to the New York's DNA databank.

Both prosecutors and defense attorneys agree that having more DNA can help solve more crimes, but not everyone agrees that this bill does enough to ensure justice. WMHT's Marie Cusick reports for the Innovation Trail. more

(03/01/12) A unit at Fort Drum charged with helping wounded soldiers transition to civilian life was given a scathing review in a report by the Department of Defense Inspector General's Office. According to the report, the Warrior Transition Battalion was seen as a "dumping ground" rather than a place to help soldiers heal. Medical recommendations were ignored, and morale was low, with some soldiers saying they'd rather be in jail or being "shot at in Iraq" than in the battalion. Joanna Richards reports. more

(02/29/12) Yesterday we began a conversation about social issues that are in play during this election year, ranging from contraception to prenatal testing to the role of religion in politics and public life. Catholic bishops across the country are working to defeat laws requiring that insurance coverage provided by religious groups include services like contraception and vasectomies.

Polls show that the vast majority of American families, including Catholics to use contraception. But in a conversation with Brian Mann yesterday, Bishop Terry LaValley of Ogdensburg said the church's opposition to contraception is firm.

"Because it's a fundamental teaching of our faith. It's a question of life, of the preservation of life."

LaValley said requiring faith groups to offer insurance coverage for services like contraception and vasectomies amounts to "an attack on religious freedom."

The Rev. Laurena Will has been pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Ogdensburg for seven years, and an ordained minister for 20. Her church owns the building that houses the Ogdensburg Planned Parenthood Clinic. Martha Foley spoke with her yesterday. Will sees the insurance mandate and the religious freedom issue that rises from it; from a very different perspective. more

(02/29/12) Authorities say two young Amish children are in critical condition after their horse drawn buggy was rear-ended by a FedEx truck on State Route 37 in Massena on Monday.

State Police sergeant James Lobdell said, Tuesday that the children were being transferred from Massena Memorial Hospital.

"They were stabilized for transport, and sent to Syracuse for treatment of the injuries. And as of this morning, we made contact with the hospital and were advised that the two children are still listed in critical condition." more

(02/29/12) One of two young Amish children who were listed in critical condition after their horsedrawn buggy was rear-ended by a FedEx truck Monday, is now listed as stable.

The Watertown Daily Times reports that the driver of the FedEx truck has been identified as 28-year old Robert Williams of Gouverneur. Neither he nor his passenger was hurt. more

(02/28/12) After the long recession, most pundits expected the 2012 political campaign to revolve around economic issues.

But politicians on the right and left have instead been reviving some surprising social questions, ranging from contraception to prenatal testing to the role of religion in politics and public life.

In an interview with Newsweek magazine, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat, argued that opposition to insurance coverage for those services amounts to "an attack on women."

"Many of us are outraged, really outraged," Sen. Gillibrand told the magazine. "In the year 2012, we should not be debating access to birth control. No boss should be making a decision about what health care their employees should be eligible to take."

Polls show that the vast majority of American families use contraception and think contraception should be widely available. Surveys also suggest that a smaller majority of Americans think religious groups should provide full insurance benefits to employees.

But Bishop Terry Lavalley, who heads the Diocese of Ogdensburg, sees this very differently.

He argues that Federal changes to healthcare laws proposed by the Obama administration threaten the religious freedom of groups like the Roman Catholic Church.

Bishop LaValley met recently with Brian Mann to talk about the Church's prominent role in this year's political campaign and about the difficulties of teaching Catholic doctrine in an age when even many Roman Catholics are making very different moral choices. more

(02/22/12) The federal low income heating assistance program, commonly known as LIHEAP, has had a lot of ups and downs this year. Funding levels are lower than they've been in awhile. And there's more demand for services.

In New York state, this winter's average benefits for families are $500-700 lower than they were last year.

Sarah Harris reports from Vermont, where the state's Congressional delegation secured an additional $5 million to bolster the program. But even with that help, many Vermonters are still struggling to keep their heat on this winter. more

(02/16/12) Hospice groups provide care and comfort to people facing the end of their lives. Hospice of Jefferson County is about to take a big step forward in the kind of care it can offer dying patients -- a home.

Joanna Richards toured the new Watertown residence with CEO Stephen Lyman. more