Wellness roundup: Birth control no longer requires a prescripti­on in NC

Pharmacists in North Carolina can now dispense and administer certain medications, including some forms of hormonal birth control, without a prescription, according to a state law that went into effect Feb. 1. Both self-administered oral contraception (birth control pills) and transdermal contraception (birth control patches) are available. House Bill 96 also gives immunizing pharmacists expanded […]

Buncombe County seal

Fee increases on county commission­ers’ Sept. 17 agenda

Building permits and inspections, birth control through county Health and Human Services and disposal of solid waste are all slated to become more expensive in Buncombe County’s newly proposed fee schedule. The Board of Commissioners will vote on the new fees during its regular meeting at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17, in room 326 at 200 College St.

Planned Parenthood of Asheville announces acquisitio­n of permanent medical home

After renting a building on Biltmore Avenue for about 15 years, Planned Parenthood’s Asheville Health Center will begin providing sexual and reproductive health services in a permanent setting by the end of the year. The announcement came at the nonprofit’s fundraiser and 35th anniversary celebration on Thursday night. (Pictured: Bonnie Smith, interim CEO of Planned Parenthood, makes the announcement. Photo by Caitlin Byrd)