A website has been launched to educate the public about the dangers of fentanyl abuse, and the locally developed Patch 4 Patch solution which has been effective in curbing it, Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli announced today.
The website, patch4patch.ca, provides information about fentanyl abuse and on Fedeli’s Private Members’ Bill, Bill 33, the Safeguarding Our Communities Act. Patch 4 Patch has now been implemented or is in the process of being implemented in 45 Ontario communities, with that number expected to grow.
“Thanks to all the local partners, Patch 4 Patch is working. It’s now been more than a year since the last fentanyl death in North Bay. Prior to Patch 4 Patch, the city averaged two deaths a year dating back to 2007,” Fedeli said.
The Patch 4 Patch initiative and Fedeli’s bill have been highlighted on CTV’s W-5, in a Maclean’s magazine feature on the growth of the fentanyl problem across the country, and have been endorsed by the Toronto Police Service, as well as the Ontario and Canadian Chiefs of Police.
“I’m pleased our local efforts to combat fentanyl abuse have gained national attention, but much more work lies ahead,” Fedeli noted.
