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An Oswego organization will open an outpatient program for substance use disorder in Auburn on Monday, giving the city its first provider of methadone to treat opioid addiction.

Located on the second floor of Nick's Ride 4 Friends at 13 Chapel St., Farnham Family Services will also provide access to buprenorphine and naltrexone, which along with methadone are the only medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat opioid use disorder. The Oswego organization will offer access to counseling, peer support and other services in Auburn as well.

"It's such a comprehensive type of treatment we're offering," Farnham Medical Services Director Mark Raymond told The Citizen. "It's evidence-based and it's life-saving."

Overdose deaths in Cayuga County have been trending downward recently — there have been four through July 2023 compared to five through July 2022 and 11 through July 2021, according to Healing Cayuga's overdose data dashboard. But abuse and addiction of opioids is still "a big problem" in the area, Raymond said, still destroying lives if not causing as many deaths.

At its Oswego facility, Raymond added, the organization hasn't had an active patient fatally overdose in two years.

The organization's Auburn program will have open access hours of 8 a.m. to noon Mondays through Thursdays and 8 to 10 a.m. Fridays, with staff on site as early as 6 a.m. Medications like methadone will be provided on-site in supervised settings, which allows staff to manage patients in a safer manner, Raymond said. More stable patients will be provided take-home medication schedules.

Raymond and Farnham Outpatient Program Director Chris Baszto thanked the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; the Drug Enforcement Administration, which regulates methadone providers; and the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, which last summer provided the organization a $200,000 grant to expand to Auburn.

Raymond and Baszto also thanked the Cayuga County recovery community, whose services they hope to complement at Nick's Ride 4 Friends. Before Monday, local people in recovery from opioid use disorder had to travel as far as Syracuse, Oswego or Trumansburg for methadone treatment, Nick's Ride Executive Director Ashley Moench told The Citizen in March.

"It's about time we offer this to our community," she said. "We see this as being a one-stop shop for people struggling with opioid use disorder and addiction."

To learn more For more information about Farnham Family Services and its Auburn treatment program, call (315) 702-8460.

Gallery: Opioid addiction program opens in Auburn