Disque Foundation: Democratizing Lifesaving Health Care Education Worldwide

When medical emergencies strike, trained bystanders save lives. Yet millions worldwide lack access to lifesaving education due to cost, location, or availability barriers. The Disque Foundation bridges this critical gap by providing free, physician-level health care training to underserved communities globally through innovative technology and strategic partnerships.

The Save a Life Initiative: A Decade of Impact

Launched in 2012 through a groundbreaking partnership with National Health Care Provider Solutions (NHCPS), the Save a Life Initiative represents a revolutionary approach to medical education. The concept is elegantly simple yet transformative: take the same advanced life-saving training developed for physicians and deliver it to anyone, anywhere, at no cost.

In its first year alone, NHCPS fully funded the Disque Foundation’s overseas medical mission trip to the Philippines, demonstrating the initiative’s immediate real-world impact. This marked the beginning of a sustained effort that would reshape global access to lifesaving education.

Comprehensive Course Offerings

The foundation’s online platform provides physician-quality training across four critical areas:

  • CPR, First Aid & AED: Created by practicing medical professionals and completely free, covering essential emergency response skills for cardiac arrest, choking, and traumatic injuries
  • Basic Life Support (BLS): The most comprehensive FREE online BLS course available, focusing on high-quality CPR, proper ventilation techniques, and team-based resuscitation
  • Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS): Advanced training for health care professionals covering complex cardiac rhythms, pharmacology, and advanced airway management
  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS): Specialized training for pediatric emergencies, addressing the unique physiological and psychological needs of children in crisis

Each course combines evidence-based medical protocols with practical, hands-on training methodologies that have been proven effective in clinical settings.

Unprecedented Global Reach

Current Impact: Over 8.6 million people trained across 188+ countries. 

2025 Goal: Empower 10 million people worldwide. 

Partnership Model: Multiple life support courses are offered online for free through the Disque Foundation partnership

After achieving its milestone goal of empowering one million people, the foundation has continued to expand exponentially, demonstrating the overwhelming global demand for accessible medical education.

Strategic Global Partnerships: From Online to On-Ground Impact

classroom-based-cpr-trainingThe foundation’s success stems from its ability to forge meaningful partnerships that transform digital resources into tangible community benefits.

Regional Training Centers

Ecuador Partnership: The collaboration with Centro De Capacitacion Respirar in Riobamba exemplifies the foundation’s localized approach. Coordinated by paramedic Henry Rodriguez, this training center combines the foundation’s comprehensive online curriculum with hands-on practical exercises, creating an immersive learning experience that addresses both theoretical knowledge and practical application.

Nawaloka Institute Collaboration: This partnership extends the foundation’s reach into additional regional communities, demonstrating the scalable nature of their educational model.

Medical Mission Integration

Building on their Philippines medical mission success, the foundation integrates on-ground medical assistance with educational outreach, ensuring that communities receive both immediate health care support and long-term capacity building through training local residents.

Real-World Impact Stories

  • Remote Village Scenario: A teacher in a village hundreds of miles from the nearest hospital completes free pediatric first aid training. When a child begins choking, that teacher’s knowledge saves a life and protects an entire community.
  • Health Care Worker Empowerment: Rural health care workers gain access to advanced cardiac life support training that would otherwise require expensive travel to urban centers.
  • Community Resilience Building: Entire communities develop medical response capabilities, reducing dependence on external emergency services.

Technological Innovation: Leading the Future of Medical Education

The Disque Foundation has consistently pioneered the use of cutting-edge technology to make health care education more accessible, effective, and engaging.

Multi-Platform Distribution Strategy

Educational Platform Partnerships: Strategic alliances with Udemy and OpenLearning ensure courses reach massive, globally-engaged online learning audiences, multiplying the foundation’s organic reach through established educational ecosystems.

First-of-Its-Kind Platform: The foundation’s proprietary online platform represents the first comprehensive, free medical education system of its scale, featuring interactive modules, progress tracking, and competency-based assessments.

Emerging Technology Integration

Virtual Reality (VR) Training: The foundation is actively exploring immersive VR environments for medical procedure practice. Research demonstrates that VR-trained students show significantly greater technical skills and higher procedural confidence compared to traditional training methods. This technology offers:

  • Risk-free practice environments for high-stakes procedures
  • Repeatable scenario training for rare emergencies
  • Standardized assessment capabilities across diverse geographic locations
  • Cost-effective simulation of expensive medical equipment

Live Interactive Education: Free, real-time online webinars provide immediate access to expert instructors, creating opportunities for live Q&A sessions and collaborative learning experiences that bridge the gap between self-paced online learning and traditional classroom instruction.

Quality Assurance and Accreditation

Through its partnership with NHCPS, the foundation maintains rigorous certification standards that meet or exceed traditional medical education requirements, ensuring that free education doesn’t compromise on quality or professional recognition.

Measurable Community Impact: Beyond Numbers

Health Care System Strengthening

The foundation’s approach creates lasting improvements in community health care infrastructure:

  • Increased First Responder Density: Communities develop higher ratios of trained individuals capable of immediate emergency response
  • Reduced Emergency Response Times: Local capability reduces critical dependence on distant professional medical services
  • Health Care Cost Reduction: Proper immediate care reduces complications that lead to expensive long-term treatments
  • Community Resilience: Natural disasters and emergencies find communities better prepared for mass casualty events

Educational Equity Advancement

healthcare-professionals-certified-in-cprBy removing traditional barriers to medical education—cost, location, language, and scheduling—the foundation addresses fundamental health care disparities:

  • Geographic Equity: Rural and remote communities gain access to identical training quality as urban centers
  • Economic Accessibility: Financial constraints no longer prevent individuals from acquiring lifesaving skills
  • Cultural Adaptation: Training materials can be localized for different cultural contexts while maintaining medical accuracy
  • Flexible Learning: Self-paced online formats accommodate diverse work schedules and learning preferences

How to Get Involved

Take Action Yourself

  • Get Free Course: Complete free courses to respond confidently in emergencies 
  • Advance Your Skills: Progress from basic CPR to advanced life support 
  • Become a SaLi Trainer: Join our global network of Save a Life Initiative (SALI) trainers who teach communities worldwide. Our training partners deliver hands-on instruction in their local areas, multiplying our impact through grassroots education.
  • Stay Current: Maintain certifications with updated medical protocols

Partner Your Organization

  • Health Care Facilities: Integrate training into staff development for complete emergency preparedness 
  • Schools & Universities: Add lifesaving skills to curricula, graduating prepared students
  • Businesses: Offer training as an employee benefit for safer workplaces 
  • Community Groups: Host training sessions through churches, centers, and civic organizations

Support the Mission

Your donations fund:

  • Platform maintenance for worldwide course access
  • New technology development, like VR training
  • Expansion to underserved regions
  • Expert content creation and updates
  • Local training center establishment

Building a Safer World: The Ripple Effect of Education

The Disque Foundation’s mission to provide free advanced health care education to underserved populations represents more than individual skill building—it’s about creating a fundamental shift in global emergency preparedness.

The Multiplication Effect

Every person trained becomes a potential lifesaver who can:

  • Respond effectively to immediate emergencies in their community
  • Teach informal skills to family members and neighbors
  • Advocate for expanded training in their professional and social networks
  • Serve as community resources during large-scale emergencies or disasters

Long-Term Vision: A World of Prepared Communities

The foundation envisions communities worldwide where emergency medical response capability is distributed throughout the population rather than concentrated in professional services. This model creates:

  • Reduced Emergency Response Times: Immediate care provided by trained community members
  • Improved Survival Rates: Higher quality immediate care leads to better outcomes
  • Enhanced Community Resilience: Natural disasters and mass emergencies meet prepared populations
  • Health Care System Support: Community-level response reduces burden on professional emergency services

Conclusion: Knowledge as the Ultimate Lifesaver

Through its innovative use of technology and steadfast commitment to accessibility, the Disque Foundation has established itself as a true leader in global health care education. By making physician-level medical training available to anyone with internet access, they have created something unprecedented: a global network of potential first responders unified by shared knowledge and commitment to saving lives.

Over a decade since the Save a Life Initiative’s launch, the foundation’s work proves that the most powerful medical technology isn’t found in expensive equipment or sophisticated facilities—it’s found in human knowledge, properly shared and widely accessible.

The foundation’s ultimate message is both simple and profound: the power to save lives lies within everyone’s reach. By removing barriers to medical education, they’re not just teaching skills—they’re building a safer, more prepared, and more compassionate world where anyone can become a lifesaver when it matters most.