About Us

Northern Heart’s mission is to provide the public with educational resources and heart healthy programs to reduce the impact of heart disease in Northwestern Ontario

Group of people outside holding umbrellas and smiling

Our Mission

Northern Hearts is a Thunder Bay non-profit charity whose mission is to provide the public with educational resources and heart healthy programs to reduce the impact of heart disease in Northwestern Ontario

Photo of Doctor Chris Lai with text "cardiologist in bottom right corner

History

Dr. Chris Lai, a local Thunder Bay Cardiologist, and Dr. Rene Hasian formed Northern Hearts in 1992 to pursue their dream of helping people with cardiac disease to live longer and better lives. They initiated several programs in the Thunder Bay region to assist those impacted by cardiac disease. The Northern Hearts Heart Retreat was held once a year to provide education and therapy for those impacted by the disease. Other support programs included education relating to diet, exercise and nutritional shopping. These are all aimed to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease within Thunder Bay and Northwestern Ontario.

Northern Hearts began to offer “Walk with Doc” programs in the 1990s to offer an opportunity for individuals in Thunder Bay to participate in short social walks with doctors to discuss cardiac prevention and treatment options.

Since then the organization has continued to provide educational and recreational activities in an effort to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease including “Talk with Doc”, “Dine with Doc” and “Golf with Doc”.

Board Members and Volunteers supporting Walk with Doc and Friends

Volunteer Opportunities

Northern Hearts is a volunteer based organization and relies on the generous support of volunteers to host our many events including; Talk with Doc, Walk with Doc, Dine with Doc and Golf with Doc. If you would like to help us achieve our mission and donate your time or talents to help us host any of our events, we’d love to hear from you. Please sign up today to help make a difference in the lives of those impacted by cardiac disease and help us improve the lifestyle of individuals in an attempt to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.