Sonora, CA– When Dale Robbins suffered a heart attack, he didn’t think twice. In his most vulnerable moment, he chose to stay in Sonora, placing his life in the hands of his hometown hospital.
That decision reflects a major transformation in rural cardiac care. Thanks to expanded emergency capabilities at Adventist Health Sonora, heart attack patients in the Mother Lode region can receive advanced, life-saving treatment just minutes from home — a critical shift in a condition where every minute counts.
“We say ‘time is heart,’ which means that every minute the heart doesn’t get oxygen causes more tissue death,” said Sharon Watkins, DNP, RN, Patient Care Executive at Adventist Health Sonora. “In the past, the closest facility equipped for interventional heart attack treatment was over an hour away. Now, we can start treatment immediately.”
In 2024, the hospital received licensure to perform interventional cardiac procedures in its on-site catheterization lab. Beyond imaging and diagnostics, physicians can now use techniques like balloon angioplasty, stent placement, and intravascular lithotripsy to open blocked arteries in real time. The upgrade was made possible through technology investments and a coordinated, community-wide approach to cardiac emergencies. In April, Adventist Health Sonora became an officially designated STEMI Receiving Center — the closest such center for more than 100,000 residents of Tuolumne, Calaveras, and parts of Mariposa counties.
STEMI, or ST-elevation myocardial infarction, is a severe type of heart attack recognizable by distinctive patterns on an EKG. With new mobile modems placed in Tuolumne County ambulances, first responders can now transmit EKG readings from the field directly to the hospital, allowing staff to prepare the cath lab before the patient even arrives. The modems, small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, were funded through the hospital’s Greatest Need Fund. According to Watkins, this rapid coordination is already improving survival rates and long-term heart performance in a region where coronary artery disease remains a leading cause of death.
As the hospital continues investing in care and infrastructure, a temporary change will affect patient and visitor access over Memorial Day weekend. From Saturday, May 24, through Monday, May 26, the main hospital driveway off Delnero Drive will be closed for paving. Visitors will be redirected through Guzzi Lane. Parking at the main entrance and emergency department will remain open, and all services will operate as usual.
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