By BISHOP NASH
The Herald-Dispatch
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — First lady Melania Trump will travel to Huntington on today, with the sole purpose of visiting Lily’s Place, a center that treats babies born with addiction symptoms, U.S Rep. Evan Jenkins said Monday.
(AP photo)
“Melania Trump heard from Lily’s Place Executive Director Rebecca Crowder last month during a White House event, and now she will be able to see this model of care for herself,” Jenkins said in a statement released by his office. “I welcome the first lady’s involvement in this critical issue and look forward to working with her and President Trump to combat the opioid crisis.”
Crowder was among the experts and people affected by addiction who met with the first lady on Sept. 28 in the White House to discuss the opioid epidemic affecting the nation. Melania Trump said she was concerned about the well-being of children and wanted to help as many as possible with the issues they face growing up.
Though President Donald Trump has visited the Mountain State twice — once in Huntington — since taking office, Tuesday’s visit will be the first for Melania Trump as first lady.
Lily’s Place opened its doors along 7th Avenue in 2014 to provide medical care for infants suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and offer support, education and counseling services to the infants’ families and caregivers. Lily’s Place offers individual rooms with carefully controlled environments for a dozen babies at a time in the weeks they undergo treatment for withdrawal symptoms.
Lily’s Place’s mission in treating babies born with NAS is especially needed: an American baby is born with NAS every 25 minutes, according to a recent study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The report recommends several practices to address NAS and improve treatment for these newborns, including educating expectant mothers on prenatal care, educating health care providers on screening and treating NAS, as well as addressing the stigma faced by pregnant women who use opioids that keeps them from getting treatment.
The exact time of the first lady’s visit has not been announced.
Follow reporter Bishop Nash on Twitter at @BishopNash.
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