Racquel Stephen
Health/environment reporterRacquel Stephen is WXXI's health reporter. She joined the newsroom in 2021.
Racquel’s multifaceted radio background includes reporting for WAER in Syracuse and as a host for WLGZ-HD2 in Rochester.
Racquel holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Rochester and a master's degree in broadcasting and digital journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
Racquel’s interest in health reporting stems from navigating through the developmental disabilities of her toddler son, and witnessing inequities within the health care system.
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A new package of legislation is aiming to make mental health resources more accessible and efficient for underserved mothers in New York state. -
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello said the spike in cases within the last month is largely driven by at-home testing — proof, he said, that flooding the community with rapid test kits is effective.
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Researchers at the University of Rochester have developed a test that uses computer software to track facial muscle movements that are invisible to the naked eye during a video selfie. Those movements, they claim, can determine with remarkable accuracy markers of Parkinson’s disease.
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Rochester Regional Health is reinstating changes to its hospital visitation policies in the wake of the rapid transmission of the omicron variant of COVID-19.
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The University of Rochester Medical Center warned Thursday that the public should expect some of the hospital system's care locations to close temporarily or consolidate due to staffing shortages brought on by the pandemic and vaccine mandates.
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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul started her first COVID-19 briefing of the new year in Rochester with praise for Monroe County’s efforts to combat COVID-19. But she followed it with a frank update on the state’s COVID numbers.
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Monroe County reported 1,822 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and officials expect those numbers to keep rising.
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The Blue Cross Arena has updated its vaccination policy to include school-aged children.
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Local business, political and health care leaders are urging Monroe County residents to get vaccinated and wear a mask in order to avoid another shutdown.
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Local business owners are reacting to the state’s vaccine-or-mask mandate that went into effect on Monday.
