Perry-area residents had a chance to meet Angela Mortoza, the new chief executive officer of the Dallas County Hospital, at an open house Thursday in the DCH Community Room.
About 70 people attended the party, where light refreshments were served beginning at 2 p.m. and Donna Vandehaar, who served at the hospital’s interim CEO, introduced the new CEO.
“Everyone is excited to welcome Angela and see where she will lead us next,” Vandehaar said. “The strong leadership she has shown in her previous roles, as well as her experience and knowledge, makes her the perfect fit for Dallas County Hospital.”
Mortoza grew up on a farm west of Perry. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Mercy College in Des Moines and a Master of Science degree in healthcare administration from the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill.
She has a 20-year background in nursing management at Mercy’s Children’s Emergency Center and Mercy Medical Surgical Unit. Mortoza has spent the last four years in Greenfield as CEO of the Adair County Health System.
She currently lives in Winterset with her husband, Rick. They have four children. Mortoza said she and her husband are in the process of building a house on the Stuart Road, just inside the northern boundary of Adair County.
“Once our youngest is in college, we will be looking to move to Perry,” Mortoza said. She said her mother, who lives just outside of Winterset, would also like to return to the Perry area in the future.
After brief remarks from Vandehaar and Mortoza, who seemed pleased with the warm reception, visitors were invited to stay and watch the Iowa State Cyclone basketball game on the big screen. Vandehaar even took what some might call an unfair advantage and unfurled a Cyclone banner at the end of her presentation.
For a moment the congenial atmosphere in the room threatened to become as divisive as a Republican National Convention. The sound of gnashing teeth was distinctly audible from the direction of, for instance, Perry businessman and staunch Hawkeye partisan Bill Clark.
