STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The borough will be getting a medical marijuana dispensary, the state Department of Health announced Tuesday, as it is doubling the number of companies allowed to grow the plant for its medical marijuana program and doubling the number of dispensaries in the state.

It's unclear yet where the Staten Island facility will be located, when it will open, or any other specifics about its operations.

Citiva Medical will manufacture the plant in Orange County, and have a dispensary on Staten Island, as well as in Brooklyn, and Dutchess and Chemung counties.

The drug is available in pill or oil form -- there is no legal smokeable form in New York state.

Those diagnosed with one of more than a dozen debilitating ailments, like cancer, AIDS, Parkinson's disease, ALS, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis, are eligible for the treatment once they are approved by a doctor who has been trained in the treatment, and once the patient registers with the state and gets an ID card.

Insurance doesn't cover the drug, and purchasing it out of pocket creates a burden for patients.

When the Compassionate Care Act went into effect in New York in 2014, only five companies were selected to grow and dispense the plant, having four dispensaries each, for a total of 20 statewide.

Proponents of the medical marijuana program, like state Sen. Diane Savino, the bill's sponsor in the Senate, criticized that number as far too few for the state's almost 20 million population spread out over 54,000 square miles.

Since then, the program has been slowly expanding, adding chronic or severe pain to the list of approved ailments. A bill passed in the Legislature in June to add PTSD to the list, but has yet to be signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

While few doctors signed up to prescribe the drug, nurse practitioners and physician assistants were added to the program to certify patients for use. Home delivery also became permitted.

The announcement Tuesday means an additional five companies will produce the product, with four dispensaries each, doubling the availability of the treatment in New York.

"The New York State Department of Health is committed to growing the state's Medical Marijuana Program responsibly," Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said in a statement. "The addition of these registered organizations will make it easier for patients across the state to obtain medical marijuana, improve the affordability of medical marijuana products through the introduction of new competition, and increase the variety of medical marijuana products available to patients."

According to the state Health Department, as of Aug. 1, there are 25,736 certified patients and 1,139 registered practitioners participating in the program.

That includes a 72 percent increase (10,744 people) in certified patients since chronic pain was added in late March.

Citiva Medical, the company that will run the Staten Island dispensary and sell cannabinoids, has a deep connection to the Island.

Dr. Jack D'Angelo is the chief medical officer for Citiva, and is the medical director of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Associates of Staten Island, focusing on chronic pain, musculoskeletal, neurological and functional rehabilitation issues.

He also co-founded Real Medicine for Real People, a physical medicine and rehabilitation wellness center in Charleston; and is also medical director of Forest Rehabilitation Medicine on Staten Island, a treatment center for the non-narcotic, non-invasive treatment for chronic pain.

D'Angelo is president of the Richmond County Medical Society and president of the Staten Island Heart Society.

Savino (D-North Shore/Brooklyn) was instrumental in getting the Compassionate Care Act passed and has since pushed for an expansion.

"I think it's great that we're going to have one on Staten Island because a lot of patients on Staten Island have complained about having to travel off Staten Island," she said. "It's a hardship."