Last modified: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 4:51 PM PST Each year Holy Rosary Medical Center Nuclear Medicine Technologist Rama Vadapalli (pictured here with a nuclear camera) organizes a Community Heart Health Education seminar in conjunction with American Heart Month. This year’s seminar will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. today at the hospital. Checking out the heart By Casey Clark Ney - Argus Observer For the past seven years, Rama Vadapalli has organized a free community health seminar for the Western Treasure Valley Community. Vadapalli, a nuclear medicine technologist at Holy Rosary Medical Center, rallies the hospital and other sponsors to provide area residents the opportunity to learn about heart disease. As a hospital employee, it would appear Vadapalli’s venture is work-related. That, however, is not the case. Vadapalli kicked off the annual heart health seminar after his wife suffered a heart attack. “My wife had a heart attack, and I didn’t know about it until almost week later,” Vadapalli said. “It wasn’t actually a heart attack like chest pain. It was like nausea for a week.” Eventually, Vadapalli said, his wife decided she needed to go to an emergency room and seek treatment. At the time, the couple thought she was suffering from a bout of gastric reflux. They were both surprised to learn she was having a heart attack. “They life-flighted her to St. Luke’s and put a couple of stints in her heart,” Vadapalli said. Amid the chaos, Vadapalli said he decided to do some research on heart disease and symptoms. “I was really looking for some information on a personal level, and it was real hard to find any information,” he said. “So that is when I started this program.” Every year in February, American Heart Month, Vadapalli hosts a free community health seminar in conjunction with HRMC and the St. Luke’s Idaho Cardiology Associates. This year is no exception. The seventh annual free Community Heart Health Education seminar will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., today, at the HRMC Snake River Conference Room. The event will feature guest speaker Dr. James Field, a board certified cardiologist with the St. Luke’s Idaho Cardiology Associates of Boise. According the Holy Rosary Medical Center Marketing and Public Relations Specialist Stacey Taylor, the hospital assists Vadapalli’s efforts by donating the room and materials to help market the seminar. This year’s seminar will also feature refreshments provided by Matsy’s Restaurant, Vadapalli said. Seminar participants can best access the event via the hospital’s west entrance. “There will be signs,” Taylor said. Casey Clark Ney is a correspondent for the Argus Observer based in Idaho. She holds a B.A. in Communications and has more than six years experience in newspaper writing. She can be contacted at (208) 454-9088.