Women are sounding the alarm and taking extra steps to secure their prescriptions.

Andrea Weiss is one of millions of women in the U.S. navigating menopause and part of a growing population reporting that they're struggling to fill their patch prescription.

She says her pharmacy went from giving her a three-month supply of estrogen patches to one month. By April, she said her pharmacy told her they didn't have them and weren't sure when they would get more.

Weiss said given her medical health conditions, the patch is her best option.

"The idea of not having it is kinda stressful," she said.

Rachelle Kuramoto calls New York City home, but says out of desperation, she crossed state lines to secure patches.

"I am terrified about what's going to happen if my pharmacy in Atlanta stops carrying them," she said.

At New London Pharmacy in Chelsea, securing patch prescriptions continues to be a daily challenge. Pharmacist and owner Abby Fazio said they only had enough stock to supply "maybe six" patients with the patch, "depending on how many they're getting."

"It is frustrating," said Dr. Sarah Berg, an OBGYN and menopause-certified practitioner.

She says the situation is dire for women who finally found a medication that can help them fend off painful symptoms.

"The medication goes directly through the skin," she explained. "It's bypassing the liver, so your body is processing it more easily, and for many women, this is the most effective way for them to get treatment for their hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes and many other issues, and we know that it protects their bones."

In February, the FDA approved the removal of a safety alert, known as a black box warning. The agency says that move increased demand for the patch.

Data shows in 2024, the number of prescriptions for estrogen patches stood at nearly 600,000, and by May 2026, it jumped to 1.6 million.

This September, the Democratic Women's Caucus acknowledged a spike in prescriptions and strained estrogen patch production, and called on the FDA to address what they described as a shortage.

In a statement to CBS News New York, the FDA wrote, in part, "Patches are not in shortage."

The FDA says they're working with several manufacturers to help increase patch production.

Viatris, a global healthcare company producing the patches, told CBS News New York given the significant surge in patch demand, they've taken steps to increase production, including adding a shift at their Vermont facility for around-the-clock production.

Bayer, another company producing the patch, says they expect periodic supply shortages of their estrogen patch, called Climara, until at least early 2027.

Berg says there are safe alternatives, including gels, creams and an oral pill. She warns, however, it could take some women months to adjust to the changes.

"Data is actually showing that if African-American patients and Caucasian patients both are detected at the same time, then the chance of them doing great is equal," said Dr. Irini Yacoub, a radiation oncologist at New York Proton Center. "So, it all comes down to get screened early, get diagnosed early, get treated early."

Prostate cancer is found in the prostate glands among people who have male reproductive organs.  

Early screening also expands the options for treatment that patients have while also maintaining their quality of life, including their sexual health.

Testing options have expanded in recent years as well, beyond the often-intimidating digital rectal exam. Many doctors now recommend a quick blood test called the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test instead, which measures the amount of PSA protein produced by prostate tissue. According to the National Cancer Institute, in general, "a PSA level above 4.0 ng/mL is considered abnormal and may result in a recommendation for prostate biopsy."

The New York Proton Center in East Harlem is the first and only proton therapy center in New York State. In partnership with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of New York, the organizations bring these services right to the community, like through its mobile testing. Lamont Mitchell was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2023, and his journey led him to the center.

"I think men should become engaged in their health. They should become partners in their health. And not only that, but they should seek the best care you can get. That's what I did," Mitchell said.

Mitchell now helps other men do just that through Know Your Numbers DC, an organization that educates men about getting screened.

Have a story idea or tip in Harlem? Email Noëlle by CLICKING HERE.

Everyone's story is unique and has some degree of struggle that comes with it. That's something their friends and family live with, too.

CBS News New York sports producer Joe McLaughlin shared his Parkinson's journey with Kristine Johnson.

"It's an unbelievable mental battle every day"

McLaughlin is feisty, funny and smart. He works hard, but there's also a "living the dream" aspect to his job for the admitted former jock.

But for the last seven years, he's been struggling with Parkinson's disease. He was in his 40s when he was diagnosed, so it's classified as early onset.

He tried to hide his tremors at work by keeping his hand in his pocket.

"Which became my signature look for many years," McLaughlin said. "Or sitting on my hand. Every time I'd sit down, I'd [sit on my hand] and just lock it in there for years."

But colleagues noticed.

Then he was in the newsroom less and less, withdrawing from friends and colleagues.

"Look in the mirror, and I was just, man, what happened to me? And I hated it. I hated it," McLaughlin said.

"What happens to people is you don't socialize, you become isolated," said Dr. Susan Bressman, head of neurology at Mount Sinai. "It's not healthy emotionally, cognitively, physically. That's a key part ... of keeping people active and out there."

"It took everything for me for a number of years," McLaughlin said. "Not only is it a brain disease, it's an unbelievable mental battle every day. A lot of days are worse than others and also it's a very visual disease, you know. It's easy to hide something when nobody can see it."

McLaughlin said he struggled to just button his shirt or take his credit card out of his wallet at a cash register.

"There was always a plan I had for everything," he said.

McLaughlin said he couldn't use a knife and fork together when eating.

"One time, we were out at dinner, and the maître d' just kind of casually, I mean, he did it very smooth, but it was, at the same time, borderline emasculating, he came over and cut my steak on my plate, little cube steak. And that hurt," he said.

"You're not doing this alone, man"

At the time McLaughlin was diagnosed, he was in the early stages of a relationship with Tracy, who later became his wife. They have now been married for about six years.

McLaughlin was smitten from the start, but with a new Parkinson's diagnosis hanging over a possible future together, he wasn't sure if he should continue to pursue the relationship. He knew he had to tell her.

"I remember he was sitting on the couch, and ... he was so upset and, you know, [said,] 'We need to talk,'" Tracy said. "And I didn't know if he was breaking up with me ... I just saw pure terror and emotion in [his] face."

She took a no-nonsense approach to what life had in store.

"I never considered walking away. I had to process what it meant for us because, you know, I was just starting to think about ... what a future together would be like, and now all of a sudden, there's this huge blindspot where we just didn't know what to expect," Tracy said.  

Tracy said once McLaughlin let her in, it was easier to get through the dark moments together.

"I think one thing that we struggled with early on is that he didn't want to concern me or scare me, so he wouldn't be completely open with me," Tracy said. "And that was something that we would talk about, that he needed to let me share that journey with him."

She said it was incredibly difficult to see him struggle when medicine didn't work and when he received test results confirming the diagnosis.

"I remember that was an extremely emotional night," Tracy said. "Crying together, you know, being together and understanding that this really was a part of our life."  

"I was still kind of wanting to protect her from what I was going through. I still felt like she didn't need to fight the battle yet," McLaughlin said. "Then at times I just couldn't help but kind of just spill my guts out ... And then I started realizing, like, dude, you're not doing this alone, man. You can't. You got your rock over here, just lean into it. And that's what I started doing, and it helped me mentally more than anything, and then, you know, it helped us."

At their wedding, McLaughlin described how he had to hold his left hand still with his right hand as Tracy also held his left hand in hers and slid the ring on his finger with her other hand.

"So we had my hand and your hand on my left hand, which is, I hate this hand, for the most part," McLaughlin said.

"Your life revolves around taking your meds"

McLaughlin tried medications, trials and treatments, but nothing was really helping, and the progression of Parkinson's marched on.

"I think I was taking 22 pills a day," he said. "Some days the medicine worked great, other days it didn't work at all, and you had no idea when it was gonna be like that."

McLaughlin said there was one day where he didn't experience any symptoms.

"That day I felt like myself. I was bouncing around the newsroom and hanging out. And then I was like, what did I do? I was trying to relive the day and see if I could repeat it," he said.

He said during that time, he was constantly adjusting his meds.

"It just becomes untenable," Bressman said. "Your life revolves around taking your meds and hoping they work."

McLaughlin first went to see Bressman in 2019, and Bressman said over time, he developed more of a tremor and his symptoms became more intrusive in his life.

"So when we raised the idea of surgery, his eyes lit up. It was like, 'Really?' I said, 'Yeah,'" she said.

"Your brain is stuck"

DBS is deep brain stimulation. It's not a new surgical procedure. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration cleared it for Parkinson's treatment nearly 30 years ago, but even with significant medical advances, implanting electrodes into your brain is a delicate complex treatment.

"You can conceive of our normal brain state as like a marble rolling on a track. And it just kind of rolls and does its thing. And if you took a shovel and you dug a little hole in one of the tracks, what would happen to that marble when it hit the hole?" Mount Sinai neurosurgeon Dr. Brian Kopell said. "It would get stuck, right? And that stuck state, that's the disease. Your brain is stuck. And so what DBS does is it kind of jiggles the ball out of the hole and allows the ball to continue its resumption."

McLaughlin said despite learning about the risks of the procedure, he didn't hesitate for a second.

"Because I knew what it can do," he said.

"Some people have an intuition about themselves. They just know something's gonna work or not work, and he does," Bressman said.

Bressman said one of the debates regarding the surgery is when to perform it.

"Maybe we should be doing this earlier with everybody. Why do we even wait to make somebody kind of miserable on the oral meds when we've got surgery for them?" she said.

"There was an opportunity if we were to intervene very early, that we would be able to give many more people much more normal lives in the sort of ultimate goal of one day somebody curing this thing," Kopell said. 

"My fighting chance"

DBS required three separate surgeries. Electrodes were precisely placed deep into McLaughlin's brain, on the left side first. Four weeks later, electrodes went into the right side. A week after that, a device – think of it as a controller – is implanted into his chest that connects to the electrodes.    

"I was just ready to go. There was one thing that I kept repeating in my head all the time," McLaughlin said. "I keep it on my nightstand, this little card, it says Psalm 31:24. It says, be of good courage, and he will strengthen your heart, you know, all who have faith in the Lord. And I would always say to myself, be of courage, be good courage, be of good courage."

McLaughlin said he knew what was at stake. 

"This is my only chance here, man. I said I'm going downhill, and I'm too young to be going downhill. I've got a great, great, wonderful wife and a great family that I still want to be my best around. And this was my fighting chance," he said. 

"Joe is obviously optimistic. He's all in, there's no doubt in his mind," Tracy said. 

Tracy said she was relieved when the three-hour surgery was done. 

"Oh gosh, it was so exciting, and it was like finally letting go of a breath that I had been holding for months," she said. 

Post-op photos show the reality of what McLaughlin went through - his head shaved, then bandaged, and him smiling. He started to see the effects of the surgery after he woke up. 

"It took about 45 minutes and then I realized, I'm like - man - nothing going on here. I'm just not shaking," he said. "It was kind of like all right, all right, and then once I just started get using my hands again." 

"I called my mom afterwards ... she's like how are you doing? I'm like, you know, nothing shaking. And that was my corny joke, and she laughed," he said.

A new outlook

McLaughlin said the more people who know that DBS is an option, the better it will be for them.

"That's what I just want people to know, how this can change so many lives if more people know about it," he said.

He said the procedures "re-energized" several aspects of his life, most notably his relationship with Tracy.

"We're excited to travel again, excited to go out to dinner. I love steak houses. And I'm so excited that now we can go to steak houses again. Again, it's a silly little thing, but it's things that we used to take for granted," McLaughlin said.

The change in McLaughlin after the surgery was profound, but familiar. He was back to the Joe so many in the office knew. Colleagues say it was like he ripped a sad old mask off his face, and revealed the person everyone remembered. He welcomed conversations about his Parkinsons journey.

"I feel mentally and emotionally and energy-wise, I feel like I'm in my 30s again," McLaughlin said.

"I always said, I had the perfect life if it wasn't for that stupid disease, and I still have it, but I don't really have it now. So now I'm just kind of in the zone of like, I tell myself, remember what you said. You said you had the perfect life if it was not for the disease. So now I guess I have a perfect life," he added.  

The New York City Department of Health says two residents tested positive for the disease at the Castleton Park Apartments in St. George within the last 12 months. As a result, the city is now evaluating the building's internal hot water system.

Health officials emphasized the probe is not focused on a cooling tower, unlike prior outbreaks across the city, and added this is not a community cluster investigation and there is no risk to the surrounding area.

"It is okay to drink the building's tap water, but Castleton Park Apartments residents should follow the Health Department's recommendations for safe water use," the city said in a statement. "Remediation is underway, and the Health Department will continue to provide residents with updates and guidance."

Officials urge anyone living in the Castleton Park Apartments who may be experiencing symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle aches, or cough, especially those 50 or older, smoke, vape, or have chronic lung disease or a weakened immune system, to get medical attention.

Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia caused by bacteria that grows in warm water and is not spread from person to person. Officials said building evaluations are typically launched when two or more residents are diagnosed within a 12-month period.

Most people exposed to Legionella bacteria do not become sick, and the risk of infection from a building's water system is low for most healthy individuals, health officials said.

Recently, a Queens apartment complex underwent an investigation of its hot water system after two residents tested positive for Legionnaires' disease.

Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said in part, "in the past year, several buildings in Manhattan were hit hard by outbreaks of the disease. We also know that being proactive can go a long way toward preventing more people from contracting the disease if it is present."

Previous investigations on the Upper East Side and in the South Bronx needed a broader public health response because Legionella bacteria were detected in cooling towers at those buildings.

For more information about Legionnaires' disease, visit the New York City Department of Health.

Authorities said Rojas Cabrera, a native of the Dominican Republic, referred to himself as a doctor and operated the Bereshit Lifestyle Center on Riverdale Avenue. Investigators said he was only licensed in the United States as an esthetician.  

The indictment comes months after Elizabeth Baron, 27, visited Rojas Cabrera's Bronx office with her mother for an NAD injection, according to investigators. Baron later died at a hospital.

Last month, the city medical examiner ruled her death a homicide. The medical examiner determined the cause of death was a cardiac air embolism caused by the introduction of air into an intravenous catheter during the procedure, prosecutors said.

Rojas Cabrera's attorney Donald Vogelman said the murder charge is based on "depraved indifference murder."

"What the DA did is outrageous. There is no case ever in New York state under these facts where anyone has been convicted," Vogelman said in a statement to CBS News New York. "The law is clear that the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant did not care if the patient lived or died. The fact he called 911 and performed CPR shows that he did care and that it was an unfortunate accident."

A source familiar with the investigation told CBS News New York authorities are aware of two additional people who visited the clinic and later came forward. Neither received the same injection as Baron, and investigators have found no indication they suffered adverse health effects. Rojas Cabrera has not been charged in connection with those individuals.

Rojas Cabrera is being held by the Department of Correction on $2 million cash bail.  

His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 27. 

Officials said ticks continued to be found even after grass fields were mowed and treated.

Students will have to use alternative locations while additional treatment efforts continue, according to the district.

District superintendent Timothy Eagen said the school's pest-control vendor is using an organic treatment solution, noting that New York has strict regulations governing chemical spraying on school grounds.  

The district's schools are located near the heavily wooded Nissequogue River State Park. 

Eagen said it remains unclear whether the increase in ticks is related to the recent nor'easter, the nearby wooded areas or the local deer population.

"You just never know with the diseases they carry and all of that. You don't want to take any risks," said Suffolk County resident Julia Alamo.

Health experts said the threat of tick-borne illnesses remains a concern even as summer comes to an end.

"I think on Long Island, they are all bad tick seasons at this point," said Dr. Andrew Handel, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Stony Brook Children's Hospital.

Children face a heightened risk because they spend more time outdoors and are more likely to come into contact with tick habitats, Handel said.

Ticks are no longer limited to wooded areas, according to certified arborist Tom Jones of Jones Tree and Plant Care.

"The three things that bring them in are deer, mice and rabbits, and everybody on Long Island has one of those three," Jones said.

Suffolk County officials are also monitoring the spread of the lone star tick, which has continued expanding across the region.