More people in Bermuda die of heart attacks than other medical conditions.

The Island will soon gain a third heart specialist in an effort to reverse that trend.

Cardiologist Varinder Singh, of Columbia University's New York Presbyterian Hospital, will head the Bermuda Heart Foundation's new Centre for Cardiac Outreach Renewal and Education (CORE).

Slated to open this autumn, CORE will tackle the problem of heart disease on the Island from a new angle prevention. It is anticipated this will not only result in us becoming a healthier population but will also reduce, or at least help contain, health care costs.

Dr. Singh is the director of Cardiac Interventions at the Center for Interventional Vascual Therapy at New York Presbyterian.

The programme will be covered under health insurance.

"Your insurers and Simone [Barton, executive director of BHF] need to be commended for making this insurable," he said. "This is not available anywhere in the US or Europe."

Insured patients with a referral from a primary care physician will be covered to take part in an eight-week programme that will run at CORE.

The programme is an integrative one that will include advice and actual coaching on things like diet and exercise. The psychological impact or threat that the disease is having on each patient will also be addressed.

The centre is due to open in October and will be situated in the heart of Hamilton. Both Dr. Singh and Ms Barton feel the easy access will help ensure its success.

Dr. Singh told Body & Soul he envisions he will be a resource for patients and medical professionals here.

"We're going to be doing a bit of everything to provide Bermuda with access to high-level preventive cardiology," he said. "I will see patients in consultation and also give CME (continuing medical education) lectures to GPs in the community."

He explained that CORE will be an integrated facility, staffed with experts from each of the areas involved in preventing heart disease. This means in addition to Dr. Singh there will be exercise trainers certified in working with patients at high risk for cardiac disease and those with heart disease. There will also be a registered dietician, and a psychologist.

"We are committed to making the centre be a very successful entity," said Dr. Singh. "It's a premiere niche type of facility for the community where you can learn about your risk and adjust it. And if you already have heart disease we can give advice on how to handle it."

Dr. Singh will initially be on-Island for two days a month.

"New York Presbyterian is committed. We want this to work very much. If we continue on this trajectory we could come as often as once a week but to begin with we will be there once a month," he said.

Every effort will be made to accommodate those who cannot come during regular working hours, Dr. Singh added. At the moment he plans to offer appointments late Thursday evenings and Friday mornings.

"The session length may vary from 15 minutes to 45 minutes to even one-and-a-half hours," he said.

Dr. Singh anticipates that his visits to the Island will reduce overall health care costs.

"I see this as having a global economic benefit," he said. "Instead of you having to leave the Island for this care, for the first time the expertise will come to you."

That means a savings on costly airfares, hotels and other travel-related costs, he said.

Having the facility at home also makes it more likely that patients will adhere to the programme, Ms Barton said.

"People need hands-on intervention," she said. "Even though there's a lot of information out there, in order to be successful you have to focus on where the person is. CORE will provide a nurturing environment for everyone."

Dr. Singh will give a free public lecture on heart disease on September 17 at 5.30 p.m. on the 4th floor of the Argus Building. He will also hold a continuing education lecture with local physicians the following morning and meet with health insurance representatives in the afternoon.