Wood takes helm as Perry Health Care Center administrator

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Doug Wood in the new administrator of the Perry Health Care Center.

Doug Wood of Perry began work Thursday as the new administrator of the Perry Health Care Center. He assumed the new role about one month after leaving the Perry Lutheran Home, where he worked for 20 years.

“There’s always a lot to learn in a new position,” Wood said Friday. “I will be working closely with the interim administrator, who’s here until June 1, so we expect it to be a smooth transition.”

Wood has worked in the long-term care industry nearly 35 years, starting in high school as a dietary aid at the Vinton Lutheran Home Communities and Services. He was the administrator of the Perry Lutheran Home from 1995 to 1999 and returned to the position in 2002, saving the facility from closure during a period of tight finances and empty beds.

Wood’s lengthy career also includes stints as administrator of the Davenport Lutheran Home and USA Healthcare in Woodward and Earlham. He hasĀ a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a specialist certificate in nursing home administration from Des Moines Area Community College. He is licensed by the state of Iowa as a nursing home administrator.

Wood has been a resident of Perry since 1995 and is a visible presence in the community, particularly through his 15 years as a volunteer programmer with Perry’s public access television station, Pegasus Cable Channel 12. He is currently the secretary of the Perry Kiwanis Club and served a four-year term on the Dallas-Madison County Chapter of Thrivent.

More recently, Wood has become a familiar voice in the opinion section of ThePerryNews.com. His homespun tone and cracker-barrel philosophy is a delight to many readers.

“This is a win for Perry and for the residents of the Perry Health Care Center,” said Jim Caufield, publisher of ThePerryNews.com. “It also means our readers will continue to enjoy Doug’s charming stories of church dinners, and Pegasus viewers will still have local access to broadcasts of local sporting events.”

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Built in 1965, the Perry Health Care Center is licensed for 46 beds. It currently has a population of 17.
Built in 1965, the Perry Health Care Center is licensed for 46 beds. It currently has a population of 17.

3 COMMENTS

  1. We know Perry Health Care Center will be in good hands. Congrats, Doug. You are a great family friend and when my Mom was in the Perry Lutheran Home, you always went the extra mile to make things good for her. Thanks so much and God bless you always. Nancy Dittert

  2. This is great news for the Perry Health Care Center and for Perry. We are retaining a truly caring individual in our community. He has the knowledge and the capacity to effect positive change. “Caring” cannot be learned from a book. A person either “has it” or he doesn’t. And Doug has it.Best wishes and good luck from your friends (and neighbors) at the American Legion.

    Mike Kelley R.N. (ret.)
    Iowa Health Facilities Surveyor (ret.)

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