Harlem Healthy Hearts (HHH) recently kicked off its monthly series of workshops with “Saving Hearts by Eating Right” at the Lt. Joseph P. Kennedy Community Center on West 134th Street. The event included screenings for blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and weight, and gave participants heart-healthy cookbooks, pedometers, and brochures.

Icilma Fergus, MD, FACC, Associate Professor of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, right, and American Heart Association volunteer Haykuhi Kirakosyan, offered heart health information at the workshop. In January 2012, Dr. Fergus cofounded HHH with Program Coordinator Nancy Thomas. Dr. Fergus is also Director, Cardiovascular Disparities at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and President, Association of Black Cardiologists. At the event, she and guest speaker Mary Ann McLaughlin, MD, MPH, Director, Cardiac Health Program, The Mount Sinai Hospital, discussed the important link between a healthy diet and a healthy heart.