June 02, 2023  – Angela Rivera was recently named Regional Chief Nursing Officer of Beckley ARH Hospital and Summers County ARH Hospital.

Rivera, who has served as CNO at Beckley ARH since February 2016, was named interim CNO at Summers County ARH in February. In her new role, she will oversee nursing operations at both facilities.

“Angie has provided exceptional leadership in our Beckley hospital for several years,” said Jeremy Hall, ARH West Virginia Regional CEO. “I am excited to be able to leverage her knowledge and leadership in a new regional role.”

Rivera said her dual role will help the hospitals work together in their mission to serve area residents.

“The two hospitals are just 45 minutes apart and I think this is a great way to give support and merge the two communities,” she said. “I’m really excited to be part of that.”

Rivera, who resides in Daniels with her husband and two children, said it was personal experience that drew her first to healthcare and then to West Virginia.

“My mom was diagnosed as a Type 1 diabetic when I was small,” she said. “She was sick a lot so I kind of grew up in healthcare on the patient side. It kind of called to me that I wanted to do something to help both patients and families at the same time.”

Prior to joining the staff at Beckley ARH, Rivera worked for a large hospital system in San Antonio, Texas, where she spent time in med surg and case management before working as an associate nursing officer.

Rivera’s mother lived long enough to see her daughter go through nursing school. It was her father’s death in 2015, that prompted her relocation to Beckley ARH.

“It made me start looking at where I was and what I was doing,” she said of her desire to become a CNO while still having time to build relationships with both staff and patients. “I just really wanted to be somewhere where I knew I could make a difference.”

Though responsible for nursing departments at both facilities, Rivera said she takes care to find moments when she can spend time with patients.

“I like the one-on-one connection with patients,” she said. “I like figuring out how we can build the patient up when they’re down and send them home with the tools they need so they can take better care of themselves.”

Rivera said her initial plan was to stay in Beckley 3-5 years and move on, but that changed when her family came to know the area as home.

“This is where we want to be,” she said. “The people are great. I love the vision of ARH and I love the strong nursing team I’ve built in Beckley.”

She said she looks forward to doing the same in Summers County.

“It’s a great place,” she said of the hospital and the Hinton community. “I think we’re going to do great things.”