AUGUSTA (AP) — The state Department of Health and Human Services has announced it will expand access to medication-assisted addiction treatment by creating 359 new slots with a program scheduled to start next month.

The Portland Press Herald reported (http://bit.ly/2hP4Xu6 ) the department said Monday its study showed that about 300 to 450 people in Maine are on the waitlist for medication-assisted treatment, which combines behavioral therapy and medications to treat substance abuse.

The DHHS says it’s proposing new treatment slots using Suboxone or methadone at several centers and hospitals.

The initiative will be funded by state and federal money. Funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration will be used to treat uninsured patients.

The program is slated to start on Jan. 1.