NEW ULM -?Who wants to die early or live with a chronic illness? Yet, 95 percent of the population lives with an identifiable risk factor, and the U.S. spends $2.5 trillion on health care 70 percent of which is spent on lifestyle-related disease.

For people who are committed to changing that reality, Minneapolis will be the place to be in April. Some of the nation’s top thinkers and experts in health promotion and well-being will be there, and Minnesotans will show how communities have connected successfully to transform everyone’s health.

A new national conference, Connecting to Transform Communities: Stakeholders in Health & Wellness, is being hosted by the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation and Allina Health. The event will be held at the Radisson Plaza Hotel Minneapolis on Thursday, April 25 and Friday, April 26, 2013, and will bring James Fowler, Ph D; Dan Buettner and David Katz, MD, MPH, three of the world’s most renowned health care and wellness experts, to the stage.

Along with national presenters, local presenters include representatives from Alliance for a Healthier Minnesota, Allina Health, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, Mayo Clinic Center for Social Media, Minneapolis Heart Institute, Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, Minnesota Department of Health, Penny George Institute for Health and Healing, StayWell Health Management, UnitedHealth Group’s Center for Health Reform & Modernization, University of Minnesota and several local and regional initiatives.

For the complete conference agenda: mplsheart.org/sites/all/default/userfiles/Agenda_Connecting_022813.pdf