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New York Post
2 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
Parents pack survival kits for college-bound kids — Narcan, Plan B included
Pencils, notebooks — and Narcan? Concerned parents of incoming college freshmen are adding the life-saving nasal spray to back-to-school lists this year — along with condoms, Plan B and more modern must-haves that might have been unthinkable a generation ago. And that's just fine with students like Summer, 20, who said they prefer a matter-of-fact approach to the way campus life is lived now. Advertisement 8 Narcan, an opioid antagonist, is rising as a top back-to-school necessity for college kids heading to campus in the fall. Getty Images 'I administered Narcan to a girl who was passed out on the front lawn of an off-campus frat party,' the psych major from North Carolina, who didn't want to use her last name, told The Post. 'It literally saves lives.' Narcan, officially known as Naloxone, is an opioid antagonist that reverses the effects of illicit substances, such as fentanyl. Advertisement It's a serious topic of discussion among older folks with chickadees poised to leave the nest. From Facebook mom groups to viral TikTok clips, 'college survival kits' with the miracle medication are all the rage — along with contraception pills and other grown-up adds. 8 Sophia Green and her mom, Jamie, went viral after revealing the Narcan and Plan B pills packed in the teen's college survival kit. Courtesy Jamie Green Idaho mom Jamie, 42, and daughter Sophia Green, 18, recently made a big splash with a social media reveal of their list of nontraditional necessities for Sophia's first day of classes at Boise State University this fall. Advertisement And while the 5.6 million viewers of their clip were largely supportive, digital detractors downed the trend, arguing that plying adolescents with the preventative products is 'sad' and 'embarrassing.' One contrarian commenter even wrote, 'Damn, teach your daughters common sense, resilience and willpower.' Protesters of the ultra-progressive shift may rush to shame so-called 'helicopter parents' for inadvertently giving teens the green light to experiment. Advertisement But Yamalis Diaz, an adolescent psychologist at NYU Langone Health, said cautious adults are neither overstepping boundaries with their kids — nor granting them permission to party. Instead, they're simply preparing the pups for real-world eventualities. 8 Narcan is commonly administered through the nose and counteracts the effects of an opioid overdose. Dennis A. Clark 'Millennials and Gen Xers, who grew up in a very flexible, open-minded time, are now sending their Gen Z children off to college fully equipped to handle difficult situations,' Diaz told The Post. 'If parents choose to get Narcan or condoms for their kids, the message isn't, 'Here, go do drugs and have sex,' ' she insisted. 'The message is, 'I don't want you to get into any kind of tricky predicaments, but here are some tools that you can use to make smart choices after the fact.' ' It's a message that youngsters need now more than ever, statistics show. An alarming 50,000 teenagers confessed to misusing fentanyl, a synthetic opioid, in 2023, per a recent report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the Department of Health and Human Services. Researchers discovered a 47% spike in teen fentanyl use from 2022 to 2023. They attributed the startling uptick to the fact that many youngsters could have taken it without realizing. Advertisement Representatives for the Drug Enforcement Administration have deemed fentanyl, a Schedule I drug, the 'leading cause of death for adults ages 18 to 45 in the US,' according to the DEA's Campus Drug Prevention site. Summer's distressed schoolmate could have ended up just another statistic — but luckily, the quick thinker had taken an on-campus harm reduction seminar and knew what to do. 'She was super pale, her breathing was shallow and her pupils were pinpoint, which is a sign of overdose,' she recalled. Advertisement Now, she's always prepared with a supply of the medication, which is available as an over-the-counter commodity at most nationwide drugstores and online outlets like Amazon, where it costs around $45. 'I always keep Narcan in my purse when I go to college events, parties and festivals — because you just never know,' she said. 'Better to be safe than sorry.' 8 Gretchen is proudly giving her daughter all of the tools she needs to navigate difficult situations during the upcoming semester. Courtesy Gretchen Schaefer Maine mama Gretchen Schaefer, 50, who's sending her daughter, Ingrid, 19, back to school with a stash of Narcan and Plan B, agrees. Advertisement In fact, the mother of two said she's encouraging others with college kiddos to follow suit. 'The most common objection I hear is, 'Well, my kid doesn't hang out with drug users,' ' said Schaefer, noting that Ingrid kicks it with the sober crowd at her school in Massachusetts. 'But what if someone was slipped something and they have to reverse an overdose?' @snappity207 I made my kid a health kit for college instead of buying a prepackaged first aid kit. She may not need a few of these things, but knows to share if someone does and I will happily resupply. #college #dormhaul #firstaid #backtoschool ♬ original sound – Gretchen's Kitchen The vigilant mom is also keen on reversing the effects of unprotected sex. Advertisement 'In the case of sexual assault, I want her or someone on her dorm floor to have the Plan B on hand,' she added. 'It was $6 at Costco.' To ensure that Ingrid knows how and when to use all of the remedies in her 'health kit,' Schaefer's even created, printed and laminated an emoji-coded list of detailed instructions. Schaefer's medicine how-to prompts include, 'Can't poop? Take 2 SennaLax before bed,' and 'Oops, condom broke? Take 1 Plan B ASAP after unprotected sex (within 72 hours).' 8 As an extra precaution, Schaefer curated a detailed list of all the medical emergency items, their uses and recommended dosages in Ingrid's college health kit. Courtesy Gretchen Schaefer 8 Schaefer tells The Post that she purchased the Narcan, Plan B contraceptive pills and other emergency health supplies for Ingrid because there aren't many pharmacies near the teen's school. Getty Images She's not being overprotective; she's simply passing the torch. 'I'm the Swiss Army knife mom,' said Schaefer. 'I want her to be the Swiss Army knife roommate.' Jamie Green wants her Sophia to gain a similar reputation around the dorms. 8 Jamie says her family openly discusses drug and sex safety practices. Courtesy Jamie Green. 'It super important to be prepared,' Jamie, a social worker who's also at Boise State pursuing a master's degree, told The Post. She hopes Sophia's new crop of college friends feels comfortable turning to her for support when necessary. 'The Narcan and Plan B aren't necessarily for Sophia, but they're for anyone on campus in need,' said Jamie. 'They can confidentially come to her and get help.' 8 Sophia dreams of becoming a doctor who specializes in women's health and care. Courtesy Jamie Green Sophia, an aspiring OB/GYN, looks forward to being a safe haven over the next four years. 'My mom and I have always had a very open relationship, and it feels really great that she's setting me up for success in case of any emergencies because s–t happens,' said Sophia. 'It's better to be prepared than keeping secrets, lying and maybe ending up in a worse situation. 'I'm glad other girls in my dorm will be able to trust me or my mom if they don't have anyone else.'
Yahoo
05-08-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Hey Jane expands to Michigan, offering telehealth medication abortions, other online care
New York-based Hey Jane has expanded its telehealth business to Michigan, offering abortion pills and emergency contraception, also known as the morning-after pill or Plan B, as well as birth control and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases, yeast infections, urinary tract infections and more. "We really do view it as an important step to increase access for reproductive and sexual health care in the states, and in particular, in states that have taken really significant action to protect (abortion) care," said Kiki Freedman, co-founder and CEO of Hey Jane, which now operates in 22 states and the District of Columbia. "We ... want to be sure Michiganders have as many options as possible." The expansion of Hey Jane into Michigan comes as access to in-person abortion and other reproductive health care shrinks in the state — despite a 2022 ballot initiative that amended the Michigan constitution to protect the right to legal abortion. Why is it difficult to find in-person abortion clinics in Michigan? That's partly because of a physician shortage. About one-third of Michigan's counties have no obstetrician-gynecologists at all, the office of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer reported in January, when she signed a bill into law that allows pharmacists to prescribe and dispense hormonal contraceptives, including birth control pills, vaginal rings, patches and emergency contraceptives. And 73 of Michigan's 83 counties have no in-person abortion provider, according to Planned Parenthood of Michigan has 10 remaining health centers in the state. It closed three Michigan clinics in April — including its only site in the Upper Peninsula — and consolidated two Ann Arbor locations to one. At the time, its leaders said the closures would help it remain financially sustainable amid efforts by the Trump administration to freeze federal funding for family planning services. Then in July, Congress passed the sweeping "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," and President Donald Trump swiftly signed the legislation into law. Among the provisions: a one-year ban on federal Medicaid payments to any large, nonprofit health center that also provides abortions. That meant that Planned Parenthood affiliates would be unable to get Medicaid reimbursements even for such services as cancer screenings, family planning visits, counseling, and testing for sexually transmitted infections. Federal law already prohibited the use of Medicaid dollars to pay for abortions, except in very limited circumstances. Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Action Fund, called it "a backdoor abortion ban" that would force the closure of as many as 200 more of its health centers. Did Medicaid funding stop for Planned Parenthood affiliates? Yes, for a little while. Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, and Planned Parenthood Association of Utah sued the Trump administration on July 7, saying the law violated their First Amendment and equal protection rights. The same day, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a temporary halt to the funding freeze, but the order expired after 14 days. Planned Parenthood said some of its health centers had to stop billing Medicaid, Reuters reported, when the temporary injunction expired. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and the attorneys general of more than 20 other states, the District of Columbia and New Jersey Gov. Josh Shapiro, also sued. 'The Trump Administration's push to strip funding from these providers is an unlawful political tactic aimed at undermining care, even in states like Michigan, where the right to reproductive freedom is protected by our constitution," Nessel said in a statement. National Right to Life President Carol Tobias, however, said the Planned Parenthood affiliates' federal lawsuit was a "desperate attempt" to take public dollars. 'Planned Parenthood's priority is abortion — not women's health, not compassion, and certainly not life,' Tobias said in a statement. On July 28, Talwani issued another ruling, finding in favor of the Planned Parenthood affiliates. She said the federal government "shall take all steps necessary to ensure that Medicaid funding continues to be disbursed." White House spokesperson Harrison Fields called her decision "not only absurd but illogical and incorrect," Reuters reported, noting that the Trump administration had appealed an earlier decision in the same case. "It is orders like these that underscore the audacity of the lower courts as well as the chaos within the judicial branch," Fields said in a statement. "We look forward to ultimate victory on the issue." Hey Jane's Freedman called the efforts to strip federal Medicaid funding from Planned Parenthood "appalling." "We think people should be able to choose the type of care they get, whether that is in-person, whether that is through telehealth," Freedman said. "We do think telemedicine has a big potential to fill some of that gap. It can be more convenient for folks. They don't have to travel. They don't have to take off work or find child care. It can be more affordable. It can be more private and we are also able to offer full wraparound support. "But at the end of the day, we need in-person clinics, too. It has been devastating to see these closures." Medication abortion can be used only for a limited term during the pregnancy. Hey Jane prescribes the two-drug combination of mifepristone and misoprostol up until the 11th week, Freedman said. To have an abortion after that requires an in-clinic surgical procedure, she said. "People do need care beyond that ... and they absolutely should be able to get it." What is the cost of medication abortion? Cost can be a barrier for many seeking abortion. The Kaiser Family Foundation reported that among all abortion-providers in 2023, the median out-of-pocket cost for a medication abortion in the first trimester was $563. It was $650 for an in-clinic surgical abortion. The foundation found it's cheaper to get the medication from a telehealth provider. The median cost of medication abortion from virtual clinics in 2023 was $150. "We know financial accessibility is absolutely critical to our mission," Freedman said of Hey Jane. "And so we are the only fully digital provider to accept private insurance plans as well as Medicaid in some states. We do everything we can to offer pricing that's as low as possible. ... We do offer a sliding scale for our cash-pay patients and partner with local abortion funds for those who need financial assistance." The out-of-pocket cost for a medication abortion through Hey Jane can range from free to $299, Freedman said, depending on insurance coverage and whether a person gets assistance from an independent abortion fund. "Abortion funds are doing some of the bravest and most important work in this care space right now," Freedman said. "We know that financial accessibility and logistical support are both critical for folks being able to get care." Can people in states with abortion bans come to Michigan for treatment? Yes. People living in states other than Michigan, where there are restrictive abortion laws or outright bans, can obtain medication abortion from Hey Jane if the patient can travel across state lines and take the medicine while they are in Michigan. "We know that patients need care across the country, regardless of where they live, and telemedicine for many can make that a bit easier if you do need to travel for care," Freedman said. "In all states, it remains fully legal to travel to a state where the care is legal to receive treatment. "Hey Jane can absolutely help you out with that. We are able to provide logistical support," and mail prescriptions to a post office for pick up. "You don't even need a P.O. Box," Freedman said. "You can pick it up at the counter with an ID," she said. "It is a good option for folks who may need to travel for support." The Guttmacher Institute reported that in 2024, more than 1,600 people traveled from other states to Michigan for abortions in 2024. Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@ Subscribe to the Detroit Free Press. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Hey Jane expands to Michigan, offers telehealth medication abortions Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Report – Inter Milan Will Only Resort To Plan B Option To Lookman On One Condition
Inter Milan will only resort to a Plan B signing in attack if Atalanta insist on a high fee for Ademola Lookman. This according to today's print edition of Milan-based newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via FCInterNews. Inter Milan are hardly changing their strategy in attack after yesterday. The Nerazzurri have been pushing to sign Ademola Lookman from Atalanta. However, their efforts have been met with stubborn resistance from La Dea. Therefore, there have been reports of backup or Plan B targets. Most prominent among these has been Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku. Inter Will Only Resort To Lookman Plan B If Atalanta Demands Are High BERGAMO, ITALY – JANUARY 21: Ademola Lookman of Atalanta celebrates scoring his team's fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD7 match between Atalanta BC and SK Sturm Graz at Stadio di Bergamo on January 21, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by) Of course, Inter do have some contingency plans if they simply can't break Atalanta's resolve. However, the Gazzetta dello Sport report that Inter are considering those only as a last resort. Right now, the Nerazzurri are all-in on Atalanta. Particularly after the Nigerian international's move to force his club's hand yesterday with a public transfer request. The Gazzetta note that Inter are expecting Atalanta to finally give them a firm price tag for Lookman. If La Dea give them a number like €50 million, then the Nerazzurri can add a few million euros to their existing offer. Or even simply stick to their offer and hope that Lookman's public outburst gives them leverage. On the other hand, Atalanta could communicate that they're sticking to a valuation like €60 million. In that case, there would be little basis for negotiations. And it is in that scenario, the Gazzetta dello Sport reports, that Inter would move onto their Plan B targets.
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Yahoo
Where is Satoshi Nakamoto? Statue Honouring the Bitcoin Creator Gets Stolen in Lugano
Lugano residents woke up today to find that the famous Satoshi Nakamoto statue, an ingenious sight-line illusion envisioned by Italian artist Valentina Picozzi, was gone. The layers of disappearing stripes were only empty ground where the illusion of Satoshi, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, fading into code stood since late 2024. It was unveiled on October 25, 2024, at Plan B's Bitcoin forum, as Swiss‑Tether and Lugano raced to brand the city a global Bitcoin hub The theft was first reported by X user @Grittoshi, who suspected it had been thrown in a lake beside the sculpture. On X, Satoshigallery, the artistic project run by Picozzi, offered a reward of 0.1 BTC to anyone that could help find the statue. 'We are offering 0.1 btc to whoever will help us recovering the Statue of Satoshi Nakamoto that was stolen yesterday in Lugano,' the X post said. 'You can steal our symbol but you will never be able to steal our souls. We are all in this together and committed to place the statue in 21 places round the world.' The apparent theft just over a week after Satoshi Gallery unveiled its third Satoshi Nakamoto statue in Tokyo, Japan. Solve the daily Crossword
Bangkok Post
31-07-2025
- Business
- Bangkok Post
Patriotism and pixels: billboard firm salutes Thai flag
Plan B Media has drawn social media praise for displaying the Thai national flag on its 19,775 digital screens nationwide at 8am and 6pm daily, and at an iconic location in Times Square in New York City. SET-listed Plan B took to Facebook on Wednesday to invite Thais to express their patriotism, allowing the flag to wave across the nation and unite citizens under the hashtags #TruthFromThailand and #ไทยนี้รักสงบแต่ถึงรบไม่ขลาด. The tricolour flag can also be seen in Times Square, paying tribute to soldiers who fought and died during the recent border conflict with Cambodia. The campaign was the brainchild of Plan B chief executive Palin Lojanagosin, according to Chuwit Kamolvisit, a former massage parlour tycoon turned politician and now an anti-corruption crusader. Mr Chuwit praised the businessman's patriotism, noting that a spot on a Times Square LED screen costs the equivalent of 3 million baht monthly. That buys an advertiser one minute per hour to display their message. He emphasised the importance of communicating truth to the world at a time when regional tensions have been running high, along with misinformation about the causes. Plan B Media operates Thailand's largest out-of-home media network, with digital screens at key locations from billboards and LED displays on main roads to transport stations and airports.
