A group of dedicated Wayne State University School of Medicine students are planning a medical mission to Belize, and will conduct a fundraiser this week to help fund the effort.

You can help support the School of Medicine's chapter of the World Health Student Organization relief effort by visiting Buffalo Wild Wings at 280 W. Nine Mile Road in Ferndale from 5 to 9 p.m. Jan. 14. Diners who present a certificate distributed throughout the School of Medicine earlier this week will see 15 percent of their food purchase price donated to the WHSO medical relief trip.

Twenty School of Medicine students will participate in the week-long trip to Belize, which begins Feb. 26. The majority of the group members are first-year students, like Jennifer Bruni.

"We do both group fundraisers and individual student fundraisers," Ms. Bruni explained. "A portion of the money is raised by the whole group together -- like our Buffalo Wild Wings fundraiser. In addition to the group fundraisers, individual students raise the rest of the money themselves. If not enough money is raised after both of these methods, then whatever cost is left over students would have to pay for themselves."

Student trip leader Mala Gupta said the trip costs each student about $1,500, so the organization is working to raise $30,000 to cover travel costs.

The student group generally sees and treats about 1,000 patients during the week. Ms. Gupta said the students treat conditions such as worms, congenital disorders, malnutrition, cytomegalovirus, a variety of bacterial and viral infections, and injuries and wounds.

In special cases that may require surgery or other treatment, the students contact other physicians in the area, or those who will be coming to the area for relief work.

Last year, Ms. Gupta said, the group saw a child with congenital CMV that required eye surgery, and contacted an ophthalmologist who was willing to perform the surgery at no charge.

The students also collect donated medical supplies to treat the people they see in Belize. Anyone interested in making a donation of medical supplies can contact Ms. Bruni at jbruni@med.wayne.edu.