Why Skyaid should be a nonprofit   added 09/22/01

For profit companies must focus on the cost effective uses of the shareholders money.   In the medical field corporations focus on the top 300 - 400 million wealthiest people – and ignore other people which often have even more need, but who are unable to generate nearly as much profit for the company.

Skyaid has the goal of helping saving 100,000 lives a year around the entire globe. Skyaid will be involved in a variety of low-profit, non-profit, and even negative-profit activities.

LifeWatch can be produced in many languages.  A for-profit company would likely produce a LifeWatch in only a few languages.

Fund stroke blood detection research.  A  device to determine if a stroke involves bleeding.  It appears that a mini CAT scan can be built which is low enough cost (less than 1/10 CAT scan cost) to be used by any hospital.  Estimate made several years ago of the likelihood of success of building a prototype for $ 1 million was only 50% - which was too risky to be funded by for-profit companies.

Fund stroke cooling R&D (research and development).  There are a variety of techniques used to cool a stroke patient by a few degrees have increased the chance of surviving a stoke by 2X.  R&D funds are needed to enable this life-saving technique to be used by emergency medical transports and in hospitals.

Fund LifeWatch prediction R&D.   It appears that a LifeWatch could be used to predict the near-term likelihood of having a sudden cardiac arrest, heart attack, or stroke.  Extensive studies have shown that for hours prior to a that many hearts change their operation: typically with reduced heart rate variability or occasionally missing a beat.  R&D must be funded before such information can be used to reliably make predictions.  The LifeWatch much have an acceptably low number of both false negatives (failed to predict) and false positives ( predicted an event which did not occur.)  Since heart behavior varies widely this may require developing a LifeWatch which can adapt itself to the individual (using artificial intelligence techniques)

Fund LifeWatch monitoring R&D.  Before a LifeWatch can be sold, it must be prototyped and tested by 100’s or perhaps 1000’s of individuals.

Education in many languages. 

Emergency medical crew.  Note; a majority of the emergency medical crews around the world are un-paid and often up-trained volunteers. Sometimes the crews have to pay for the medical supplies. 

Medical staff

Public: including survivors, families of survivors/victims,

Education examples: A simple test (no equipment, and completed in about 1 minute) can establish with 90% accuracy if a person has had a stroke,  the Oxygen typically given to stroke victims increases brain damage, stroke victim should be cooled to reduce brain damage,  results of a stroke can be greatly reduced if the victim is transported to a hospital in less than 1 hour.

Approval: A for-profit company would have to get US FDA approval of the LifeWatch before it could be used to save lives.  Drug companies have found that FDA approval costs an average of $500 million dollars.  Skyaid will probably deploy the LifeWatch in countries which will generate little or not profit, and prove the concept there, instead of the US.  This non-US deployment strategy would probably not be considered by a for-profit US company.

Developing LifeWatch support in a region.  The Skyaid organization is planning to inspire local volunteers to generate interest, make the necessary changes to regulations, etc.  If a for-profit company were to try to gain an entrance in a new region, on the other hand, it would probably have to pay an agent for years to market the LifeWatch and make the necessary changes to regulations, emergency medical system, etc.  This is one of the reasons that for-profit medical companies resist venturing into different countries.

Collaborate with other nonprofits which share a common goal.  Nonprofits often collaborate and for-profits will often compete.