#026 - How a Parent Charity Transformed Neonatal Care in Barbados

In this episode, Shelly-Ann and Mbozu sit down with a few members of the Parents Neonatal Intensive Care Charity affiliated with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Barbados.

Heidi and Andrew Hutchinson, parents of a baby born at 30 weeks who is now a practicing lawyer, share how they transitioned from frightened NICU parents to decades-long advocates. June Walton and Cheryl Walrond, retired NICU nurses, describe building the first parent education sessions and the culture of care that followed.

What began as a Thursday evening Q&A between overwhelmed parents and NICU nurses in the early 1990s grew into a registered charity that funded system improvements over time. These included refurbishing every incubator in the unit, securing surfactant in the early days before it was on national drug formulary, purchasing a portable X-Ray machine among many other initiatives.