Bringing the Latest Technology and More Experts to Our Cardiovascular Team

During a heart attack, when every minute counts, having the closest interventional cardiology program more than 50 miles away can lead to devastating outcomes for patients and their families.

Our friends, families and neighbors deserve more quality, compassionate care, close to home. That’s why Adventist Health Sonora is working to bring the first interventional cardiology program to the Sierra Foothill region, which will provide lifesaving care for patients having an active heart attack and prevent the need for patients to travel out of the community for emergency cardiac care.

Coronary artery disease is the second leading cause of death in Tuolumne and Calaveras counties, according to California Health and Human Services. To address this health need, we are currently remodeling our cardiac catheterization lab (cath lab), doubling the space from one procedure room to two, and equipping each suite with the latest technology for diagnosing and treating heart problems.

We’ve also submitted an application with the California Department of Public Health to begin offering percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), a lifesaving procedure used to open blockages in the heart.

Having a modernized cath lab and working towards state licensing to provide interventional procedures has enabled us to recruit experts in heart care, like Dr. Ayman Hosny and Dr. Sundararajan Srikanth, who joined Dr. Melanie Davidson and the rest of our cardiovascular team this year. We are expecting more interventional cardiologists, physician assistants and nurse practitioners to join our heart care team in the coming months as our new cath lab nears completion and we elevate the level of heart care we can provide for our community.

Our vision is to become a hub for cardiovascular care in the Mother Lode, in the same way the oncology team at the Diana J. White Cancer Institute has brought exceptional cancer care to our region.

Watch this brief video to see the cath lab construction progress and hear from a few members of the Adventist Health Sonora leadership team about the lifesaving care coming to our community.