Nashoba Valley Medical Center president resigning

A brick building with "Nashoba Valley Medical Center" printed on the sign along a concrete driveway.

Photo | File Nashoba Valley Medical Center

Photo/Courtesy Sal Perla

Photo/Courtesy Korry Dow

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By Grant Welker

The president of Nashoba Valley Medical Center, Sal Perla, has resigned, the Ayer hospital announced Tuesday.

Korry Dow, the hospital's CFO, will serve as interim president as of Tuesday.

Perla has been named the president of Norwood Hospital, which, like Nashoba Valley Medical Center, is part of Boston-based Steward Health Care.

Perla joined Nashoba Valley Medical Center in 2014. He was previously the vice president of Milford Regional Medical Center, according to his hospital biography. Perla is the chairman of the board at the Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce, which is based in Shirley.

Perla started his career in Boston as a scientist specializing in microbiology and infectious disease. He is a graduate of Northeastern University and has a master's degree in healthcare administration.

Melissa Fetterhoff, the president and CEO of the Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce, called Perla a strong supporter of businesses in the region and someone who particularly fought for better transportation options in Nashoba Valley, including to and from the Ayer and Shirley commuter rail stops and the hospital.

"We're, of course, sad to lose him because he's been such a great advocate," she said.

Fetterhoff said Perla has committed to staying on the chamber board until a new permanent hospital president is named. The chamber's board typically includes the Nashoba Valley Medical Center president.

Dow was previously a Medicare auditor at Blue Cross & Blue Shield in Boston, a reimbursement analyst at Boston Medical Center and a senior accountant at Emerson Hospital in Concord. She has an MBA in accounting from Fitchburg State University and has been with Nashoba Valley Medical Center for more than a decade.

Steward Health Care, a for-profit company, owns hospitals in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah.