“Lifebox Africa”: an AA-wesome Effort by South University Students!

All the way from Georgia, U.S.A. without further ado:

“Lifebox Africa” is an Anesthesiologist Assistant (AA) student-led initiative that made local news recently after the South University students from the Savannah, GA campus raised more than $1200 to help improve surgical safety in sub-Saharan Africa!

The  students were inspired to help Lifebox after finding out that over 70% of sub-Saharan African hospitals do not have pulse oximeters and after learning of a classmate’s mission work in Kenya in 2011.

“We use pulse oximetry with every one of our patients so we really understand how not having a pulse oximeter would really affect our daily practice. Lifebox is such an important organization because there are still over 77,000 operating rooms in under-developed countries worldwide that do not have pulse oximeters. At South University, we decided to help!” explained student Claire Wainwright.

As part of the “Lifebox Africa” project, the students organized a booth at the American Academy of Anesthesthesiologist Assistant (AAAA) Conference and sold handmade retractable badge clips made from discarded medicine-bottle caps collected during clinical rotations in Savannah, GA.

During the four-day event, “Lifebox Africa” raised over $1,200 towards the purchase pulse oximeters for operating rooms in Sub-Saharan African hospitals. Pulse oximetry and the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist can help dramatically reduce deaths from surgery, and this contribution will make an enormous difference. “The fact that our students have chosen to devote their limited time to this project shows a strong commitment to patient safety worldwide,” said Stacie Wong, M.D., an anesthesiologist and professor in the AA program at South University.