GEORGETOWN (AP) — Pinnacle Treatment Centers, a leader in providing accessible treatment for adult men and women struggling with substance use disorder, will open Georgetown Treatment Services, Ohio’s first medication unit, on Monday.

The facility is located at 303 E. Cherry Street in Georgetown, Ohio, approximately 35 miles southeast of Cincinnati.

Intended for rural counties and to provide ease of access, medication units are treatment facilities which administer medicine such as methadone and buprenorphine in an effort to curb withdrawal symptoms from heroin and opioid addiction; prevent relapse; and quell the physical discomfort that frequently accompanies recovery from opioid use disorder. Med units also collect urine samples and conduct drug testing and analysis.

Geographically separated from its “home” opioid treatment program (OTP), a medication unit must be located within 45-90 miles of its main clinic, which provides the full range of medication-assisted treatment (MAT) services including individual and group counseling. Pinnacle’s home OTP for Georgetown Treatment Services is Chillicothe Treatment Services.

Joe Pritchard, CEO of Pinnacle Treatment Centers headquartered in New Jersey, stated, “Ohio’s need for a broader range of opioid treatment is clear, particularly in rural counties like Brown. Our goal is to continue to serve communities that have the greatest need and make it as easy as possible for them to access treatment.”

As the opioid crisis has spread, it has affected both urban and rural communities.