Richmond-based plastic surgeon Dr. Nadia Blanchet was recently awarded HCA Healthcare’s Frist Humanitarian Award in honor of her long-term involvement with World Pediatric Project and the compassionate care she provides for local patients undergoing breast reconstruction after cancer. She was one of two national finalists.

Dr. Blanchet and her husband urologist Dr. Kent Rollins were the first surgeons to volunteer in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. They were soon joined by Dr. Donna Brown, pediatric ophthalmologist and her husband, urologist Dr. Rob Brown, with more surgeons later joining, in support of providing access to care for children in Saint Vincent. With the commitment of these medical providers and the late Governor-General and cardiologist, Sir Frederick Ballantyne, this initiative ultimately led to World Pediatric Project (then-called International Hospital for Children) developing an Eastern Caribbean regional hub for pediatric care on the island of Saint Vincent.

To date, World Pediatric Project has provided over 4,000 life-altering and lifesaving interventions and extensive pediatric care throughout the Eastern Caribbean. Once a child is identified as needing more advanced care than is available locally, one of many World Pediatric Project traveling medical teams will provide care in the child’s home region or connect the them to a center of excellence in the United States for complex care. In addition to providing direct care, WPP medical volunteers work alongside local medical providers, mentoring, educating and training their counterparts in the Caribbean. This practice ensures that local expertise and healthcare quality is improved, leading to better local care.

The Frist Humanitarian Award also provided a generous donation to World Pediatric Project, in honor of Dr. Blanchet’s work. WPP thanks HCA Healthcare and Dr. Blanchet for their support in empowering WPP to provide expert pediatric care to those children who need it most.