There might be a change in location for UPMC Chautauqua Medication-Assisted Treatment program.

Cecil Miller, UPMC Chautauqua vice president of operations, told The Post-Journal that UPMC officials have refiled the necessary paperwork to receive a certificate of need from the state Department of Health to possibly have a medication-assisted treatment in Jamestown instead of the an originally planned location at their clinic in downtown Dunkirk.

Miller said UPMC Chautauqua received the $1.5 million grant and was one of only three hospitals in the state to receive a part of $5.7 million in funding from a $19 million federal grant.

In October 2017, Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the announcement about the funding that will be used to improve integration between primary and behavioral health care, expand and enhance medication-assisted treatment programs and to expand services for pregnant and postpartum women diagnosed with a substance use disorder.

The grants were awarded to the state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and will be administered by the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene.

UPMC Chautauqua hospital will receive its portion of money over three years. The grant is to increase capacity to provide medication-assisted treatment services in the region and improve the hospital’s ability to engage and retain people receiving care. Providers were chosen based on the need for services in their areas and whether they had received funding to expand medication-assisted treatment services in the past.

Currently, the Chautauqua County Behavioral Health Clinics in Jamestown and Dunkirk have been providing medication-assisted treatment. The patient-centered approach includes both counseling and medication-assisted treatment for the treatment of opioid dependency, the physical and psychological reliance on opioids. Opioids include prescription painkillers like OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin as well as the illicit drug heroin and synthetic opioids like Fentanyl, and are a group of drugs known for high risks of dependence and addiction.

Medication assisted treatment is the use of anti-craving medications in combination with behavioral therapies and counseling for the treatment of substance use disorders to help address issues related to opioid dependence, including withdrawal, cravings and relapse prevention.

Two primary medications as treatment options are available at the Chautauqua County Behavioral Health Clinics involving medication-assisted treatment. The first medication is Suboxone (buprenorphine), which is approved by the FDA for medication-assisted treatment of opioid and heroin use disorders. Vivitrol (naltrexone) is the second option to treat heroin and opioid use disorder, in addition to alcohol use disorder. Vivitrol is used to block the opioid receptor and help with cravings for alcohol and opioids.