RUMFORD — Rumford Hospital will host its annual Heart to Heart conference from 8 a.m. to noon Feb. 23. It’s open to the public at no charge.
A heart-healthy breakfast and lunch will be included.
Jane Bubar, director of community relations and development, said the conference originally began at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston 13 years ago.
“About a year after it started, Rumford Hospital and Bridgton Hospital started doing the same thing,” she said. “We would connect with Lewiston through a teleconference call and let the citizens ask questions about heart health. About five years ago, we added a panel here at Rumford Hospital to speak to the people who came, and it was very well received. Ever since, we’ve decided to do the conference on our own.”
Bubar said attendees found having a speaker visit the hospital was “more down to earth than asking speakers questions over a teleconference call.”
The conference will be held in the Conference Room. Besides breakfast and lunch, recipes for heart-healthy foods will be offered.
“The breakfast will be cooked by the hospital cafeteria staff,” Bubar said, “and the lunch will be cooked by the cardiac nurses and myself. For lunch, we’ll be offering chili soup, fish fajitas, cranberry and pomegranate salsa, and raspberry Jell-O for dessert.”
River Valley Healthy Communities member Carol Emery will introduce the concept of Reiki to those in attendance, Bubar said.
“I don’t know a lot about Reiki,” she said. “I know that there are certain people trained to place their hands over other people as a relaxation technique. It’s a way to alleviate high blood pressure.”
Bubar said Emery will also host a laughter session later in the conference
“Carol is so good at getting people laughing,” she said.
Cardiac rehab nurse Dan Elliott will talk about how to manage blood pressure.
“Dan is a great teacher,” Bubar said. “He’s very funny and very entertaining. He keeps people in chuckles.”
Bubar said space is limited, and reservations are required by calling 207-369-1136.
mdaigle@sunjournal.com
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