Julian Metts, a member of the Rotary Club of South Richmond, Va., provides real care through a virtual hospital.
By the time he was in his late 50s, Julian Metts had run a successful orthodontic practice for years. He and his wife had raised five children on a farm outside Richmond, Va. But Metts, a member of the Rotary Club of South Richmond, hadn’t even started work on what he now considers one of his greatest accomplishments. In 1991, Metts traveled to Guyana to help his club find a way to serve in the small South American nation. From that original club effort, he founded a nonprofit called the World Pediatric Project, which provides lifesaving medical care to children in Guyana and other countries. Rotary’s assistance has been ongoing, with clubs in Metts’ district (7600) supporting heart surgeries and other lifesaving treatments through matching and global grants, totaling in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. In 1997-98, Metts received the RI Service Above Self Award, Rotary’s highest honor.
THE ROTARIAN: What was your first trip to Guyana like?
METTS: My Rotary club wanted to get involved with a small country, so five of us went on a fact-finding mission. We saw that the infrastructure was terrible. Schools and health care were so neglected. My prayer when I left was, “Lord, don’t send me here again.” But four months later, I was back. That time, I had with me a team that included a hospital administrator and educator. Together with a pediatrician friend of mine, I started taking medical teams regularly – I’m an orthodontist, but also trained in general dentistry.
TR: How did the project grow from there?
METTS: I’d go every two or three months. Our club also sent supplies. By 1999, we’d sent 37 shipping containers filled with items for the hospital, school supplies, and food. That year, we incorporated as the International Hospital for Children. Then we started bringing children to the United States for critical surgeries – we’ve treated about 7,500 so far. Four years ago, we merged with another nonprofit, and at about the same time, we changed our name to the World Pediatric Project, because it better reflects what we do. We do not have a hospital, but rather a network – a virtual hospital. We will send out 50 surgical teams this year.
TR: How do people in need of care find you?
METTS: Patients are identified locally, and diagnostic records are available. The surgeons review the records before they go, and they start treating patients as soon as they get there. While there, the doctors identify children that need additional care in the United States.
TR: What types of surgeries do you provide?
METTS: We do a lot of heart surgeries. Children in the Caribbean get strep throat, and when it’s not treated, it can damage the heart valves. We’ve also treated children with spina bifida and other serious conditions.
TR: How can Rotarians support the World Pediatric Project?
METTS: I’m trying to get everyone walking upright to help us financially. We also need doctors and interns, and we need volunteers who can meet the parents and children when they arrive, host them if they need a place to stay overnight, and drive them to the hospital’s hospitality house or Ronald McDonald housing. We have about 150 surgeons who volunteer with us, and many make a trip at least once a year. Rotary has been instrumental in helping us spread the word. – Vanessa Glavinskas
Learn more at www.worldpediatricproject.org.