Joe Piscatella, one of the country's leading experts on lifestyle and cardiac health, is the keynote speaker at "Heart of the Matter," Thursday, Feb. 21.  Piscatella will present "Overcoming Barriers to a Healthy Lifestyle," at 2:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., at the hospital, free to the public.

A free lipid panel to determine heart disease risk will be given that morning to the first 100 people to register here. Results will be available at the Heart of the Matter health expo, from 5:30 - 7 p.m. The evening event also includes educational booths, certain free wellness screenings and heart healthy cooking and fitness demonstrations. This event is sponsored by St. Jude Medical.

St. Peter's Lab is the first in Montana, and one of the first in the Northwest region, to provide a new, superior non-invasive colorectal cancer screening method, which improves patient care in many ways. The test provides 99 percent accuracy and allows the patient to continue with life as usual. No medication, vitamins, or lifestyle changes are required prior to testing. This test does not replace a colonoscopy, which is recommended every ten years, but rather provides a way for patients to receive a yearly, non-invasive screening for colorectal cancer.