The opioid epidemic has been a large focus of health care discussions recently. Our hospitals and clinicians are in a unique and influential position to fight the epidemic, particularly in the Emergency Department.

For this reason, Beaumont Health has decided to participate in the Midwest Alternative to Opioids (ALTO) Project with the goal of helping our patients better manage pain while reducing opioid administrations in the ED. Beaumont is the first health system in Southeast Michigan to take part in this initiative.

The Midwest ALTO Project includes EDs across Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin that are working together with the hospital association and American College of Emergency Physicians chapter in each state. Overall, the project employs new pain management guidelines, focusing on ALTOs as a first resort in treating painful conditions.

Beaumont’s goal is still to manage painful conditions for our ED patients and return them to a maximum quality of life, while also recognizing and controlling the inherent risks of prescribing highly addictive medications like opioids.

This project was piloted by the Colorado Hospital Association across 10 emergency departments in 2017 and returned an average reduction of 36 percent in opioid administrations by participating facilities. Beaumont is proud to begin implementing these guidelines within our own ED, as part of the Midwest ALTO Project. We also look forward to the positive impact they will have on our patients and community.

The project is now live, so please support our ED providers and staff as we move to effect this change.