RUMFORD – The Central Maine Medical Family and the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute will host the seventh annual “A Heart to Heart” Heart Disease Conference from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, March 3.

The free event will be held in the Auxiliary Coffee Shop and Conference Room A at Rumford Hospital. Some of the speakers will be telecast to Bridgton and Rumford hospitals from CMMC.

The space available limits the conference to 25 participants at Rumford, so advance reservations are mandatory.

The conference will begin with registration and a heart-healthy breakfast in the Auxiliary Coffee Shop. Rumford Hospital Cardiac Rehab Nurse Dan Elliott will outline the risk factors for heart disease.

At 8:45 a.m., in Conference Room A, the interactive broadcast from CMMC will begin with Cardiologist Dr. Dervilla McCann. Her presentation, “Broken Hearts and Beyond,” will focus on a recently recognized phenomenon called “broken heart syndrome.” According to medical researchers, there is a connection between emotional trauma and cardiac events such as a heart attack.

A graduate of Bates College, McCann earned her medical degree at Tufts University School of Medicine. She completed her residency at New York University Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital, NYC, and served a cardiology fellowship at the Naval Hospital in California. She is certified in cardiology by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

After a short break, “A Heartfelt Experience” will be the topic of a panel discussion. The panel will offer a “tour” of Peru resident Harold Rowley’s heart attack experience, including transport by LifeFlight of Maine, the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute catheterization lab and cardiac rehabilitation at the institute and Rumford Hospital.

At 11, after signing off from CMMC and Bridgton Hospital, Rumford participants will welcome River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition’s Carol Emery, who will lead a workshop on laughter to relieve stress.

The group will next return to the Auxiliary Coffee Shop where a brief cooking demonstration and heart healthy lunch will be featured.

For more information or to make a reservation, call Rumford Hospital Community Relations at 369-1143.