The Bermuda Heart Foundation (BHF) is planning to launch a prevention and intervention centre to combat the leading killer of Bermudians.

Around 64 percent of Bermudians have one or more factors that could lead to heart disease. The BHF is aiming to reduce the number of at-risk Bermudians by 25 percent within six years.

The centre will be the cornerstone of the prevention programme.

Said BHF executive director Simone Barton: "As a physician, you get someone in your chair and you tell them they're at risk for heart disease, and they look at you, and you can tell they honestly have no clue what that means.

"In our community, there's a huge difference between those who understand the connection between a healthy lifestyle and heart health, and those who have not made the connection.

"This younger generation is not slated to outlive us. People are becoming more prone to heart disease at an earlier age because of the sedentary lifestyle."

Public education is vital to prevention, Mrs. Barton said. She conceded that information on heart disease is available on the Island now, but said the proposed centre will offer information and education in one place.

"There should be one centre that targets all of your needs," she said. "Prevention centres have been popping up all over the globe, aiming to reach the problem before it becomes a problem."

The proposed centre will offer six- to eight-week courses focusing on healthy lifestyle choices. The BHF also plans to work with AME churches to provide a place for people to go for support after they complete a programme.

"We want to make sure there is a place in the community that you can go to and continue to follow the models," Mrs. Barton added.

The charity is to work with the Wirral Heart Support Centre, based in New York and in Liverpool in the UK, to create a prevention strategy.

"I didn't need to reinvent the wheel. Just look around, find someone who's doing it well, and copy them."

The New York Presbyterian Hospital offered help through its director of Preventive Cardiology, Lori Mosca.

"It was like the clouds opened up in charity land," said Mrs. Barton. "(Dr. Mosca) got it. I didn't have to explain what I wanted, she had already done it. The next thing I knew, they were saying they were willing to come aboard and help us."

She continued: "I felt like we'd won the lottery. Not only are we tapping their experience, but they're beside us helping.

"We're losing too many prominent people to heart disease. We absolutely refuse to accept that we're dying."

• For more information about heart disease, or to make a donation, telephone 239-2052 or visit www.mybermudaheart.bm.