Dale Torpey has been a football and basketball referee for 40 years. But last winter, during a junior varsity basketball game, the retired banker suspected something was wrong.

“After I got home, I told my wife I wasn’t feeling well,” Dale remembers.

Dale decided to talk to Dr. Stephan Schomer, a board-certified cardiologist with Washington County Hospital (WCH). He spoke to Dr. Schomer after a meeting of the (WCH) Foundation, the charitable arm of the local hospital.

“Dr. Schomer told me to see him first thing the next morning,” Dale remembers. “I’m sure glad I did.”

A stress test revealed the problem. Dale had an 85 percent blockage in one of his coronary arteries. After a stent was inserted, Dale returned to Washington County Hospital for cardiac rehab. “I had two people working with me and monitoring my heart during my entire workout,” Dale says. “That’s pretty impressive in my book.”

Feeling great, Dale returned to the football field this fall for his final season as a referee. He also continues to serve on the board of the WCH Foundation. “For a county of 22,000 people to have a medical facility that offers the expertise and services of Washington County Hospital is exceptional,” Dale says. “People need to know just how good our hospital is.”