First Lady Melania Trump visited Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt on Tuesday.
The first lady’s visit was part of her “Be Best” campaign, an initiative focusing on the major issues children face, WSMV said.
It was Trump’s first domestic trip to highlight the effort, NewsChannel 5 said. She took part in a discussion about babies born addicted to drugs, neonatal abstinence syndrome. The disease, or NAS, happens in newborn infants when their mother takes drugs like heroin, codeine, oxycodone, methadone or buprenorphine while pregnant.
Trump visited the kids in the hospital and interacted with them by blowing bubbles and playing with trains, the Lincoln Journal Star said.
The First Lady shared how she wants to help educate mothers and children about drug misuse, CP24 said. Monroe Carell’s program helps keep mothers and babies together.
#BeBest will continue to bring attention to NAS. A very big thank you to @VUMCchildren & staff for an informative & moving visit. It is a joy spending time w/ such courageous kids & to witness the strength of families who must deal with these tough situations. pic.twitter.com/WuZtjee1EQ
— Melania Trump 45 Archived (@FLOTUS45) July 25, 2018
“My passion is to shine a light on the opioid crisis,” Trump said. “I want to continue to learn and believe in starting early to educate young mothers and children about the dangers of drugs. I believe the more we talk about this, the shame and guilt will go away.”
“The first lady arrived in Nashville around 2:30 p.m. before making her way to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital,” WKRN reported:
Much of the first part of her visit was just listening to many of the pediatricians and social workers at the hospital, with the conversation focusing on the opioid epidemic and the number of infants with drug withdrawal.
Vanderbilt officials went over some of the interdisciplinary efforts to fight one of the most heartbreaking parts of the opioid epidemic – babies born addicted.
After taking part in the roundtable, the first lady also met with some patients at the hospital.
It was her first visit promoting her signature issue, “Be Best” for children.
The first lady returned to Washington, D.C. Tuesday evening.
You can watch a video of the first lady’s visit to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjvj952YmmA
