MASSENA -- St Joseph's Addiction Treatment and Recovery Center is opening a new outpatient substance abuse treatment clinic at 17 Hospital Drive.

The In Community Outpatient Service will offer substance use disorder assessments, referrals and treatment options, including medication-assisted treatment.

The staff includes Laurel Jay, who is a credentialed alcohol and substance abuse counselor, receptionist Michelle Perry and medical director Dr. John Burnett.

Hours of operation will be Monday thru Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the potential for MAT (medication-assisted treatment) services to be offered in the early evenings a couple of times per month in the future.

The phone number is 315-705-6564 and the fax number is 315-705-6567.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to bring services to individuals in need and not have to be tied to the constraints of offering services only in a full clinic site,” Robert Ross, CEO of St Joseph's said in a prepared statement. “Our counselors are hopeful that they can work with other medical providers in the area to meet the needs of the community in the community in which they live, work, and raise their families. Massena, like most communities throughout NYS continues to experience an increase in overdoses and deaths from overdoses due to the expanding heroin and opioid epidemic.”

“Addiction touches a community like no other disease. We are pleased to be working with the addiction professionals at St. Josephs to bring additional focus to evaluation and treatment of patients with addiction disorders here in Massena,” Robert G. Wolleben, MMH CEO, said in the release. “A unique part of our relationship is the collaborative approach to responding to the MMH Emergency Department to assist in the evaluation and ultimate treatment of community members with addiction disorders. We are committed to continuing to seek ways to impact the cycle of addiction that exists in our community by working with professional like St. Josephs In Community Outpatient Services Program.”