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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 25 July 2018
First lady visits hospital to promote her 'Be Best' campaign

By DARLENE SUPERVILLE Essence and other child
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — patients playing with the
Melania Trump joined in train. She moved to a cor-
the children's pastimes of ner of the room after a few
blowing bubbles and play- minutes and began blow-
ing with trains Tuesday as ing bubbles with another
she promoted her "Be Best" girl.
campaign at a hospital Mrs. Trump has done little
and expressed her desire to personally to publicize the
help educate mothers and "Be Best" campaign around
children about the dangers the country since she un-
of drug misuse and depen- veiled it at the White House
dency. in May. A week after the
The first lady spent several announcement, the first
hours at the Monroe Carell lady was hospitalized for
Jr. Children's Hospital at five nights for kidney sur-
Vanderbilt getting an in- gery, then spent several
depth briefing from medi- weeks out of the spotlight
cal professionals on their recuperating before re-
program to treat babies suming a public schedule.
born with drug dependen- She has since made two
cy, also known as neonatal trips to the U.S.-Mexico bor-
abstinence syndrome. The der to meet with adults and
program keeps mothers children affected by the First lady Melania Trump blows bubbles in a playroom with children during a visit to Monroe Carell
and babies together to im- president's policy of sepa- Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., Tuesday, July 24, 2018.
prove outcomes. rating migrant families who Associated Press
"My passion is to shine a cross into the U.S. illegally.
light on the opioid crisis," The first lady did promote
Mrs. Trump told doctors "Be Best" when she accom-
and other staff at the Nash- panied the president to
ville hospital. "I want to London this month. She has
continue to learn and be- also discussed it during sur-
lieve in starting early to ed- prise visits in the Washing-
ucate young mothers and ton area, including an un-
children about the dan- announced trip to Micro-
gers of drugs. I believe the soft's Innovation and Policy
more we talk about this, Center last week.
the shame and guilt will go The issue that took her to
away." Tennessee is neonatal ab-
It was Mrs. Trump's first do- stinence syndrome, which
mestic trip to publicize occurs when a baby with-
"Be Best," the initiative she draws from drugs — usually
launched in May to focus an opioid painkiller — that
on child well-being, social he or she was exposed to
media use and the opioid in the womb. Withdrawal
crisis. causes such symptoms
At the end of a briefing, as irritability, muscle trem-
Mrs. Trump asked the doc- ors, difficulty feeding and
tors and other hospital sleeping, and breathing
staff how she could use problems, according to Dr.
her role to help, said her Stephen Patrick, a pediatri-
spokeswoman, Stephanie cian and neonatologist at
Grisham. Monroe Carell Jr. Children's
"She is impressed by their Hospital.
goal here of keeping moth- Opioids are fueling the
er and children together," deadliest drug overdose
Grisham said. Reporters epidemic in U.S. history.
traveling with Mrs. Trump About 70,000 Americans
were escorted out of the died of a drug overdose
room before the first lady last year, according to pre-
commented. liminary numbers released
After the meeting, Mrs. this month by the federal
Trump went to a playroom, Centers for Disease Control
where she and Essence and Prevention. That's a 10
Overton, a patient at the percent increase from the
hospital, compared finger- previous year.
nails. One of Mrs. Trump's recent
"How old are you? What trips to visit a facility for mi-
are you playing? You want grant children was over-
to show me?" Mrs. Trump shadowed by a hooded
said before she took a seat jacket she wore that had, "I
in a child-sized chair to join really don't care, do u?"q