It only takes Inspira Health CEO John DiAngelo a few minutes to get to work. Every morning, the Mullica Hill resident commutes through town to the organization’s corporate office.
While DiAngelo has been at the helm since 2014, Inspira has opened 10 Urgent Care centers, according to the hospital. Most recently, DiAngelo oversaw the planning, construction and opening of Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill, and just cut the ribbon on a neighboring leading-edge cancer center scheduled to open in February. He also was honored by the New Jersey Hospital Association with a Distinguished Service Award.
But at the end of this year, the CEO will make his final commute: DiAngelo announced in January his intention to retire from the organization at the end of 2020.
“The fact that we’ve been able to expand our care locally, that we can take care of our community in our community, is probably the thing I like best,” he said.
DiAngelo likes to say he he’s made a personal commitment to care for the community “within his community.”
As a founding partner and major funder of the Cumberland County Housing First Collaborative (CCHFC), DiAngelo has helped place more than 70 formerly homeless individuals in their own houses, with the ambitious goal to end homelessness in one of the poorest counties in the region. The initiative has improved the health and well-being of the participants and significantly reduced the costs associated with acute medical care, emergency medical services and incarceration.
Under DiAngelo’s leadership, Inspira partnered with local schools and food banks to provide monthly school-based food pantries at three locations in Cumberland and Gloucester counties, an effort to tackle food insecurities in the community. The program is expected to expand to other schools in the region.
Inspira also is opening two food “farmacies” to address food insecurity among its patients. Upon discharge, patients identified as being food insecure will be connected with an Inspira Food Farmacy to receive nutritious food on an ongoing basis as well as counseling by a registered dietitian.
“Being able to help our community, this is what it’s all about,” DiAngelo noted. “I’ve been lucky enough to have people supporting me, and the great people I work with, to be able to do a lot of this stuff.”
Inspira Health Network’s board of trustees has selected Korn Ferry, a global consulting firm, to conduct a national search for the next president and CEO of Inspira Health. The board anticipates a new president and CEO will be in place by 2021, according to the organization.
In the meantime, DiAngelo looks forward to retirement to spend time with his family, travel and play more golf.