WORCESTER — On Monday, VNA Care, a Worcester-based independent nonprofit home health, hospice, and palliative care provider, announced the appointment of Leominster resident Salvatore (Sal) Perla, DrPH, as president and chief executive officer. Perla will begin this role on April 6.
For more than a decade, Perla, a longtime Leominster resident, served as the local President and CEO of Nashoba Valley Medical Center and then Norwood Hospital, where he led primary care expansions, community health partnerships, and service line improvements – including initiatives to strengthen transitions from hospital to home, reduce length of stay, and avoid readmissions.
“Sal’s dedication to patients, his eagerness to support clinicians and staff, and understanding of the communities that VNA Care has served for 140 years are exactly what drew us to him,” said Smeeta Teckchandani, Chair of VNA Care’s Board of Directors. “Beyond his operational and strategic expertise, Sal is a dynamic, people-first leader who throughout his career has prioritized helping patients stay healthy at home through community-based care.”
Perla is a longtime resident of Leominster and brings more than 25 years of experience leading multi-site healthcare organizations through growth, service line expansion, and integration of post-acute and home health services across the care continuum. He spent 13 years at Milford Regional Medical Center where he served as Vice President of Operations.
“I began my career in laboratory medicine and public health, where keeping patients healthy and out of the hospital is a guiding principle,” said Perla.
Most recently, Perla served as interim CEO at Lower Keys Medical Center in Key West, Florida, and as a Director at Synergetics Worldwide Healthcare, a global management consulting firm specializing in acute care, ambulatory, physician enterprise, and post-acute services. An epidemiologist by training, he holds a Doctor of Public Health from Capella University, a Master of Arts in Healthcare Administration from Framingham State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Health Science from Northeastern University.
About VNA Care
Among the largest home health, hospice, palliative care, and private providers, VNA Care serves more than 25,000 patients each year. VNA Care was founded by some of the state’s established home care organizations, VNA Care Network, VNA of Boston, and VNA Hospice & Palliative Care.
-VNA Care
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