First Lady Tours Hospital, Touts Trump's Tackling of Opioid Crisis
First Lady Melania Trump showcased a part of her “Be Best” youth well-being initiative on Thursday in a state her husband is hoping to win in November.
The First Lady toured Concord Hospital in New Hampshire’s capital city with James Carroll, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, in an effort to highlight the hospital’s treatment programs for babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome.
Mrs. Trump has focused many of her public efforts on health issues such as the nation’s opioid crisis.
In honor of #RecoveryMonth, I will visit New Hampshire today with @ONDCP Director Carroll to highlight a local hospital’s treatment program for babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). #BeBest
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) September 17, 2020
The appearance came during the home stretch of the presidential election season.
President Donald Trump lost New Hampshire to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by fewer than 3,000 votes in 2016. It was the second narrowest margin of victory in the election.
Only Michigan was closer, and Trump won that state.
During Thursday’s appearance, Melania Trump said combating opioid abuse is one of the “three pillars of my Be Best initiative.”
She also touted her husband’s administration’s release of $1.5 billion to states to address the crisis.
“Be Best encourages the creation of a safer, healthier and more hopeful world for our children,” Mrs. Trump said.
“And thanks to my husband and this administration, we are doing exactly that.”
The visit included a discussion with Carroll and hospital officials and a tour of the hospital’s Simulation Center, which included activities designed to help provide comfort to babies born after being exposed to drugs in the womb.
Carroll said the administration’s goal is to “reduce the supply of drugs on the street, to try to give these people a chance to put their hand up and say ‘I’m here.’”
Melania Trump also delivered 20 fleece “Be Best” blankets to the hospital’s special case nursery.
The opioid crisis has hit New Hampshire hard. The state had nearly 36 drug overdose deaths per 100,000 residents in 2018, one of the highest rates in the country.
The First Lady also made a stop at the Manchester Fire Department Central Station, where she and the president visited in 2018.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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