A hospital in Seabrook’s home state of New Jersey will be the first to begin a program to manage patient’s pain without the use of opioid medications. The hospital, St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, is located in Paterson, New Jersey. Painkillers are often prescribed after emergency room visits, contributing to the 250 million prescriptions written for opioids each year.

In the new program run by St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, patients will be treated with alternative medicine instead of opioids. Alternatives to opioids include treatments such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, topical creams and exercise programs.

The program has already begun, and 250 patients have already received alternative treatment. The physicians are not writing off painkillers completely, and understand that they are sometimes necessary for certain circumstances.