Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines –World Pediatric Project (WPP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health Wellness and the Environment conducted craniofacial assessments, surgery and care from January 20th-25th, 2019. The clinic was held on Sunday, January 20th, 2019, for all children up to the age of 21 years old.
The craniofacial team evaluated children with head and facial anomalies and was led by pediatric plastic and craniofacial surgeon Dr. Jennifer Rhodes of The Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. Dr. Rhodes was supported by an anesthesiologist Dr. Seamus Dore as well as plastic surgeon Dr. Franklin Lew and Operating Room nurse Molly McCabe. The team’s focus was to provide care for children with complex craniofacial cases and to follow up cases of children seen by our previous teams. The team mainly operated on birth defects to the face and head particularly cleft lip and palate. Eighteen (18) children were seen in clinic on Sunday with 7 receiving surgical care this week. The children of St, Vincent and the Grenadines and the Eastern Caribbean continue to benefit from the kindness, dedication, love and support of WPP and its drive to heal as much children as possible.
Dr. Rhodes who has been working with WPP for about 10 years and this is her second trip to St. Vincent, she says “it’s such a fantastic and well run program and the most rewarding part is getting to see the families and children do well from their surgeries”, she adds “the thoughtfulness with which they develop their programs and how they are so careful to really look at the communities they are working in and try and do what the community feels is most important” is what she loves best about the WPP. WPP continues to mobilize pediatric specialty teams with a cardiology diagnostic mission being led by Dr. Moskowitz slated for January 31st and February 2nd.
Parents and guardians of children who may need to be assessed are asked to contact World Pediatric Project office at 784-451-2989 for more information.