Jamestown, N.Y.-based UPMC Chautauqua was slated to open a methadone clinic to address growing opioid misuse among residents, but internal state decisions ultimately thwarted the plans, according to the Observer.
In May 2017, the commissioner from the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services visited the area. After investigating how the opioid crisis was affecting residents, the commissioner asked then-director of behavioral health for UPMC Chautauqua, Andrew O'Brien, if the hospital would open a methadone clinic in nearby Dunkirk, N.Y.
While OASAS said it would fast-track UPMC Chautauqua's application, OASAS ended up approving two methadone clinics in the same city, one run by UPMC Chautauqua and one by an organization called Hispanics United, according to the Observer.
The site ended up not being built by UPMC Chautauqua due to the proximity of the other proposed center, which would have been built three blocks from UPMC's. Mr. O'Brien said the state's decision rendered previous financial calculations obsolete.
The two organizations agreed to open one clinic in nearby Jamestown, N.Y., but arguments continue over its exact site.
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