Healthcare at the End of the Road: A Personal Perspective

This past month, a homeowner in Town experienced an unexpected medical emergency: a heart attack. Moments like these arrive without warning, and when they do, they often bring uncertainty, fear, and difficult questions. For those living in a coastal and relatively remote location, one question can surface almost immediately, the very one this story’s protagonist found himself asking: "does living at the end of the road carry additional risk?"

In the days following his recovery, the owner chose to reflect on the experience and put his thoughts into words. What follows is his personal account of the medical response, the coordination of care, and the role both the healthcare system and the community played during a critical moment. He generously shared this piece with the hope that it may offer clarity and reassurance to others in Town.

"Last week, while in Las Catalinas, I suffered a heart attack. I share this not to focus on myself, but to offer a real-world perspective on the level of advanced medical care available in Costa Rica—and to remind you that there are risks to living in a remote coastal location like ours.

The episode began early one morning with sudden chest pain. With a prior cardiac history, I immediately recognized what was happening. My concern wasn’t diagnosis, but access. Las Catalinas is remote, and the nearest cardiac catheterization lab is in San José, hours away by road. In that moment, I questioned whether living “at the end of the road” carried real risk.

Those concerns were quickly put to rest. Friends and LC security mobilized emergency services so my wife could remain with me. There was time involved in mobilizing and the arrival of an ambulance and EMTs, but that is a reality of our location. Once there, the EMTs obtained an ECG and transmitted it in real time to a physician at Hospital Metropolitano in Huacas. A heart attack was confirmed immediately, and the need for urgent intervention in San José was clear.

From EMS arrival at LC to our arrival in Huacas took less than 45 minutes. At Hospital Metropolitano Huacas, my condition was reconfirmed, I was stabilized, and transfer arrangements moved forward. I was then transported to a nearby helipad, where a medical helicopter—with a physician onboard—arrived within minutes. The aircraft had been dispatched from San José almost as soon as the diagnosis was made while I was still in Las Catalinas.

After an hour-long flight to San José, an ambulance was waiting to take me directly to Hospital Metropolitano Lindora. The emergency and cardiac teams already had my full clinical information, allowing care to continue seamlessly—on par with what I would expect in a well-coordinated U.S. emergency care system.

Within minutes, I met the cardiology team led by Dr. Mauricio Obón Dent and Dr. Andrés Garzona, both U.S.-trained. They coordinated directly with my U.S. cardiologist, and the continuity of care across borders was deeply reassuring.

The catheterization lab was fully modern and well equipped, and the procedure was successful. The ICU care that followed was excellent, with a high level of physician involvement. A small but telling moment came at discharge—when Dr. Garzona learned we planned to take an Uber to our hotel, he simply drove us there himself.

I am confident the care I received in Costa Rica was equivalent to—and in some ways exceeded—what I would have received in the United States. Rapid diagnosis, coordinated transport, and high-quality tertiary care helped balance the geographic challenges.

Equally important was our community. Neighbors stepped in to handle logistics so we could focus entirely on recovery. That combination of excellent medicine and genuine care is not something I take lightly.

This experience fundamentally changed my view of healthcare access in Costa Rica. Living remotely did not mean compromised care. When it mattered most, the system proved capable, coordinated, and thoroughly professional.

There are opportunities to further streamline how we at LC interface with emergency systems, and I understand both the Emergency Committee and LC are working to improve preparedness and protocols. That said, there is very little that could have meaningfully shortened the timeline in my case.

We all choose to live at “the end of the road” knowing there are inherent risks. For us, being part of this community is worth it.”

Experiences like this inevitably raise countless questions, especially for those who live abroad and far from the healthcare systems they grew up with. Living in Town means choosing a place at the end of the road, but also choosing a community that responds, a system that coordinates, and people who step in decisively when it matters most. 

A culture of care illustrated by physicians whose work goes beyond medical excellence and extends into genuine human warmth, together with a community willing to step in when needed, serves as a reminder that being taken care of is not defined by location, but by human connection. One that is present in Costa Rica, and one that is present in Town.

In the event of a medical emergency in Town, residents are encouraged to contact Concierge or the corresponding Condominium Administrator, who will promptly assist and activate the appropriate protocol based on the situation.