Extension and expansion for ALTO program first developed in Paterson, New Jersey hospital one step closer to becoming law
U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) this evening hailed the passage in the House of Representatives of his Alternatives to Opioids (ALTO) in the Emergency Department Act. Championed by Pascrell, ALTO encourages the use of non-opioid treatments in emergency departments throughout the country. Language from Pascrell’s bill, the H.R. 4846, the ALTO Reauthorization Act to upgrade the ALTO program from a pilot to a full permanent program was included in H.R. 7666, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022 that was approved by the chamber tonight.
“Opioids have had a devastating impact on every community in the United States,” said Rep. Pascrell. “The pathbreaking ALTO program, created in our own hospital in Paterson, New Jersey, takes the fight directly to the source and helps save lives in the process. The legislation we have passed tonight will make this life-saving program permanent and reauthorize its funding for five more critical years. What started in Paterson is helping Americans from coast to coast. I thank my co-leads, Reps. DeGette, Wenstrup, and McKinley, for working in a bipartisan manner to advance this public health priority. I also thank Chairman Pallone for including this policy in his bipartisan legislation and am going to push the Senate hard to do its duty and enact this measure expeditiously.”
The ALTO Demonstration program was modeled on an initiative pioneered by St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey that reduces the use of opioids in emergency departments. Congressman Pascrell was the primary sponsor of H.R. 5197 which established the ALTO program and has worked to increase annual funding for the program since its enactment. He most recently led the request for $10 million in funding for Fiscal Year 2023. Pascrell was joined on the original bill by Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO-01), David B. McKinley (R-WV-01), and Brad Wenstrup (R-OH-02). H.R. 7666 removed the demonstration designation to make ALTO a permanent program.
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