Latest news with #MacNeill
The Irish Sun
16-05-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
Free HRT for women breakthrough as pharmacies agree new deal clearing way for scheme worth €840 for thousands to begin
PHARMACIES will start providing free hormone replacement therapy for women from next month. The move follows a breakthrough in talks between the Irish Pharmacy Union and 2 Women can get free hormone replacement therapy from next month Credit: Getty Images - Getty 2 Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said a deal has been struck Credit: © 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved Minister MacNeill today announced a deal had been struck after a row over the amount of Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, is a treatment that involves taking hormones to address The IPU and the The impasse had centred on whether pharmacists should be paid a €6.50 dispensing fee in order to provide the service. READ MORE IN HEALTH But Ms MacNeill yesterday told how an agreement has now been reached that the dispensing fee will be €5 with further discussions on related costs. The Minister said: 'We've landed on €5. 'We gave a couple of options, one was €5 and the other was for pharmacies to charge whatever they chose to charge and I would give them a signing-up fee to do that. 'Everybody has had a chance to reflect on that.' Most read in Health The deal means the path has been cleared for the scheme to roll out on June 1. Ms MacNeill said: 'From 1 June women will be able to go in and get their HRT for free', adding that she hopes pharmacies sign up to the plan 'quickly so as to be ready for June to enable women to get their free HRT.' Drug could make women fertile for an extra 5 years and help them live longer IPU president Tom Murray welcomed the agreement, saying: 'Our main priority with the HRT scheme has been to ensure women receive the 'We are endorsing the scheme in good faith, backed by the broader commitments in this framework, including a review of the pharmacy fee structure.'
RTÉ News
16-05-2025
- Health
- RTÉ News
Pharmacies to provide free HRT for women from 1 June
Pharmacies will start providing free hormone replacement therapy for women from 1 June after an agreement with Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. Minister MacNeill and the Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) confirmed the development today, after a dispute over the amount of money pharmacies should be paid by the State for dispensing the service. Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, is a treatment that involves taking hormones to address menopausal symptoms, and which can help to manage related health conditions. The IPU and the Government have been in discussions for a number of months over how to provide the service for free to women who wish to avail of it, with the issue being raised earlier this month at the IPU's annual conference attended by Minister MacNeill. Negotiations had centred on whether pharmacists should be paid a €6.50 dispensing fee in order to provide the service. However, Ms MacNeill told RTÉ News it has now been agreed that the dispensing fee will be €5 with further discussions on related costs. "We've landed on €5," Ms MacNeill said. "We gave a couple of options, one was €5 and the other was for pharmacies to charge whatever they chose to charge and I would give them a signing-up fee to do that. "Everybody has had a chance to reflect on that," she said. Ms MacNeill said the scheme means that "from 1 June women will be able to go in and get their HRT for free", adding that she hopes pharmacies sign up to the plan "quickly so as to be ready for June to enable women to get their free HRT". In a separate statement, IPU president Tom Murray said: "Our main priority with the HRT scheme has been to ensure women receive the medication they need without cost. "We are endorsing the scheme in good faith, backed by the broader commitments in this framework, including a review of the pharmacy fee structure." Women should be reimbursed for HRT spend - Soc Dems The Social Democrats' health spokesperson Pádraig Rice said that women "who have spent hundreds of euro on HRT already this year" should be reimbursed. "A firm commitment was given, by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, that free HRT would be rolled out for women from January this year. That commitment was breached," said Mr Rice. "Instead, the Health Minister has been unable to get an agreement, with the Irish Pharmacy Union, over the line until today. "While I welcome the fact that this deal has belatedly been reached, women who rely on HRT have already spent, on average, hundreds of euro on this vital medication this year. "If government promises are to mean anything, then this money should be reimbursed to all of those women," added Mr Rice.
CBC
14-04-2025
- CBC
Charlottetown man facing multiple child sex offence charges, police say
Social Sharing A 22-year-old Charlottetown man faces several charges including child luring and sexual assault, the city's police force says. Charlottetown Police Services said in a news release that they were told on Jan. 30 that a female minor was being sexually exploited by an older man in the city. Police identified the suspect and arrested him on April 8. Zachary Stephen MacNeill faces seven charges, including: Luring a child, contrary to section 172.1(1)(b) of the Criminal Code of Canada. Sexual interference (151) Sexual assault (271) Invitation to sexual touching (152) Making sexually explicit material available to a child, contrary to section 171.1(1)(b) Every person commits an offence who, by a means of telecommunication, agrees with a person, or makes an arrangement with a person, to commit an offence with someone believed to be under the age of 16, contrary to section 172.2(1)(b) Transmitting child pornography — written material, contrary to section 163.1(3) MacNeill has been released from custody and will appear in provincial court in Charlottetown to answer to the charges on May 8. "Charlottetown Police Services' priority is protecting children from online predators who misuse digital spaces to carry out harmful acts," the news release states. "We encourage all residents to stay watchful, as understanding and awareness are essential for safeguarding children in the digital world."
CBC
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Managing the messiness of midlife and menopause on CBC's Small Achievable Goals
Jennifer Whalen and Meredith MacNeill are back with a new workplace comedy. Small. Achievable. Goals. If you've just done a deep dive into menopause and felt despair for the life-altering symptoms and physical changes that could last as long as 10 years, you need to focus. Focus on the small things you can handle, one at a time. And maybe even make a show about it. Meredith MacNeill and Jenn Whalen, show creators and performers, speak from experience. Whalen came up with the show title during the pandemic while freaking out after reading about perimenopause and menopause. She got depressed. Her husband was surprised: "You're a fighter," he had said to her. "And so we were literally sitting on the couch drinking a bottle of wine — as you do during the pandemic — and I said, 'It's just too overwhelming,'" Whalen said. "'It's like, I need to break it into smaller parts. Some small, achievable goals.'" "And we realized (later) the acronym is SAG, which really made me laugh," she quipped. A workplace comedy — with a healthy dose of body humour — was born, with Whalen starring alongside her frequent comic collaborator Meredith MacNeill. Embed | Other Both alums of the Baroness Von Sketch Show — a twisted and absurdist comedy considered a successor of The Kids In The Hall — Whalen and MacNeill have a track record for exploring the hilarity of freaking out and melting down. And the first episode of Small Achievable Goals does not disappoint. Whalen's character Julie, and MacNeill's Kris, both have meltdowns. Julie has just been overlooked — again — for a major promotion; Kris is fed up with being ignored as she faces a health crisis. Julie yells at her colleagues in an all-company meeting; Kris loses it at a self-checkout. Aside from being hilarious — the crew was breaking up while MacNeill was shooting her scene, awkwardly stuffing her legs into an adult diaper — meltdowns are also refreshing. You get to say the things you're not allowed to say, Whalen pointed out. And MacNeill admitted she had always been drawn to that power, from growing up with The Carol Burnett Show or even admiring characters such as Miss Piggy from The Muppets. "I was so attracted to watching women in public spaces lose their shit," MacNeill said. "What does it look like, that type of freedom? What does that type of freedom look like to say exactly what you want, but you're putting it in a society where you're not supposed to?" "And then you have two characters (Julie and Kris) and what they're freaking out about is real," she added. "And so what do those meltdowns look like? Obviously, in our show, hopefully hilarious and weird." And the interesting thing about freaking out — people might actually start treating you better. "When I have had meltdowns, yes, people are much nicer to me and there is a stronger boundary. I'm going to do it more," Whalen joked. The show doesn't despair about menopause or aging itself — instead, it looks at how we respond to those things. MacNeill and Whalen's characters have to hide in the bathroom as they try to get their symptoms under control; they don't want to look unprofessional on the job. But why be ashamed? Or pretend it isn't happening? Among women themselves, it's a part of bonding and backing each other up. "I just feel like talking through things like major life experiences with my female friends is huge," Whalen said. "There is something about that shared experience, and the fact that your girlfriends will always be like, 'Give it to me straight,' like, 'I want the darkest, dirtiest, grossest part' … And we laugh about it, we feel better." Menopause symptoms span a wide range of physical and mental symptoms, which may include irritability and moodiness. But it also lands during a certain era of a woman's life — she's at the top of her game, MacNeill pointed out, she's accomplished and confident. Is it fair to say that some of that "irritability" might also be a person who's just flat-out tired? And less willing to accept some of the unfair standards in their personal and professional lives? There is something about that shared experience, and the fact that your girlfriends will always be like, 'Give it to me straight,' like, 'I want the darkest, dirtiest, grossest part' … And we laugh about it, we feel better. - Jennifer Whalen MacNeill sees that dynamic. Perhaps middle-aged women are dismissed as "crazy" or pushed out of the spotlight due to the fact they are more outspoken, and care less what people think. Women are suddenly "at the strongest and most joyful we've ever been," she said, but also shedding unnecessary burdens. It's almost like coming full circle, Whalen pointed out. She remembers her teen angst — the willingness to call out unfairness in the world, and being dismissed as "just an angry teenager." But that sense is returning. And Whalen doesn't need a full-blown meltdown to set boundaries — no matter how funny that might be. Perhaps it's as easy as setting some small, achievable goals. "I feel like with each passing decade, I become more sure of myself," Whalen said. "I know more of who I am, and it's easier to say no to things I don't want to do." Watch Small Achievable Goals streaming now on CBC Gem. CBC Gem is available for free as an App for iOS, tvOS, Fire TV, Android TV, Android phones and tablets, LG and Samsung Smart TVs, Roku, and Xbox One/S/X.
