WARE — A new mobile methadone program has begun to fill a large gap in addiction treatment services in the region.

Behavioral Health Network, which runs drug treatment clinics in Springfield, Holyoke, Greenfield and Orange, says the mobile program is the first of its kind in western Massachusetts.

Program Director Maile Shoul said those in the Ware area who are in need of methadone will no longer have to travel to Worcester or Springfield for treatment.

“The benefit is to make methadone available in rural areas where there was no option in the past,” Shoul said.

She said the organization had heard from community members that people were facing an uphill battle trying to stay on a methadone program.

The 35-foot mobile treatment unit started providing services to existing Behavioral Health Network clients this week from 75 Main St. in Ware, with dosing hours Monday to Friday from 7 to 10 a.m. The entrance to the parking lot is on Bank Street behind the building.

The program will begin taking in new clients on Tuesday and Thursday this week from 7 to 10 a.m., Shoul said. Anyone who wants to sign up but can’t do it on those days can do so at the Springfield clinic by calling 413-272-1333.

Funded in part by the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Addiction Services and the HEALing Communities Study, the mobile program provides methadone to individuals ages 18 and older in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, offering a holistic approach to opioid addiction treatment.

“This will be the first mobile methadone program in this area, helping to reduce barriers to treatment access in Ware and surrounding towns,” Dr. Ruth Potee, medical director for substance use disorders with Behavioral Health Network, said in a statement.

While the mobile program is staying in one place at this time, Behavioral Health Network is open to adding stops at other sites, Shoul said. Others have used vans to reach people in homeless shelters and skilled nursing facilities, for example, she said.

“The goal is to try to reach populations who have trouble reaching a brick-and-mortar clinic,” she said.

Behavioral Health Network President and CEO Steve Winn said the company is committed to expanding and improving access to opioid addiction treatment.

Shoul said methadone is a safe medication for long-term use if taken as prescribed. It is one of three sanctioned medications for opioid use disorder, the others being buprenorphine and Vivitrol. They can only be legally acquired at a licensed treatment center.

Shoul said the mobile program is filling a need, and she acknowledged help in setting it up from the town of Ware.

“It’s been really exciting, a real collaboration,” she said.