Nationally Recognized Physician Executive Dr. Imelda Dacones Joins PeaceHealth As President Of Care Delivery And Value (Photo) - 09/09/25
VANCOUVER, Wash. — PeaceHealth today announced the appointment of Imelda Dacones, MD, FACP, as president of care delivery and value. Following the promotion of Mike Dwyer to president of strategy and business value, Dr. Dacones joins the organization as part of a comprehensive senior leadership team realignment aimed at accelerating PeaceHealth’s three-year transformation strategy.
A long-time strategic partner to PeaceHealth, Dr. Dacones is a nationally recognized physician executive and healthcare leader with more than two decades of experience driving business and cultural transformation.
“In her new role, Dr. Dacones will help accelerate PeaceHealth’s bold journey to become a truly integrated health system that delivers a person-first, value-driven and highly trusted care and employment experience for all,” said Sarah Ness, PeaceHealth incoming president and CEO. “Dr. Dacones has a proven track record of driving strategic transformation and will help break down care delivery silos, streamline decision-making, elevate the caregiver experience and advance the performance excellence needed to shape the PeaceHealth of the future.”
Effective Sept. 15, Dr. Dacones will lead and evolve the full scope of PeaceHealth’s clinical operations with renewed emphasis on physicians and clinicians, care teams and care models, ensuring we deliver value with every care encounter. She will partner closely with Richard DeCarlo, executive vice president and chief operating officer, Michelle James, RN, senior vice president and chief quality, patient safety, risk and nursing officer, and other ambulatory, acute and shared services leaders to evolve PeaceHealth’s care delivery system.
“As a longstanding strategic partner to PeaceHealth, I am excited to now join this incredible organization from within,” said Dr. Dacones. “I am deeply committed to working alongside our physicians, clinicians and care teams to build on PeaceHealth’s legacy of healing and evolve our care delivery model to meet the needs of today and tomorrow.”
The first woman and first person of color to chair The Permanente Federation’s National Executive Council, Dr. Dacones has been widely recognized for her vision, including being named one of Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Minority Leaders and a “Most Admired CEO” honoree by the Puget Sound Business Journal.
PeaceHealth will announce additional leadership team updates in the coming weeks as part of its broader effort to accelerate progress to deliver a person-first, value-driven and highly trusted experience for all.
About PeaceHealth: PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a non-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, nearly 3,200 physicians and clinicians, more than 160 clinics and 9 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission. Visit us online at peacehealth.org.
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