President’s visit ‘uplifting’ to UMC patients, staff
University Medical Center officials said President Donald Trump was “uplifting” and acted as “everybody’s nextdoor neighbor” when he met privately with shooting victims, their families and medical professionals on Wednesday.
Trump, who spent about 90 minutes at UMC, commended the doctors who treated victims of Sunday night’s massacre.
“It makes you very proud to be an American when you see the job that they’ve done,” Trump said.
Mason Vanhouweling, chief executive officer of UMC, said both the president and first lady Melania Trump connected with victims Mason Vanhouweling, chief executive officer, University Medical Center
and staff at UMC. They visited about a dozen patients and about 150 staff members, including the core team that was on the job during the first wave of victims.
“It was very uplifting that he was very concerned with the patients, their families
and their individual stories,” Vanhouweling said. “It helped with the healing process with our own staff with UMC as well.”
Vanhouweling said Melania Trump brought a sense of ease to the hospital.
“The first lady was very calming,” he said. “It was really a nice visit.”
The boost in morale was needed at the hospital and throughout the community, Vanhouweling said.
“He was very complimentary of how our staff responded on Sunday night,” Vanhouweling said. “He’s heard about all the good things we’ve done, not only here at UMC, but all the hospitals and the community. We all really stepped up, and he was very proud of our community.”
A crowd of more than 100 across the street, some of who were attending a blood drive, witnessed the president leave UMC.
Assemblyman Chris Brooks, D-las Vegas, organized the drive with the help
“He’s heard about all the good things we’ve done, not only here at UMC, but all the hospitals and the community. We all really stepped up, and he was very proud of our community.”