Hahn Retires From Hospital Board Amid Much Appreciation

Kurt Hahn is looking forward to taking road trips with his wife now that he has retired once again.

"I promised her after I retired the first time that we'd go on a one-month trip every year but we've only done that about six times in 15 years," he told Patch at his retirement party at Healdsburg Hospital on Wednesday.

Hahn served as the senior member of the Board of North Sonoma County Healthcare District for nearly 16 years, until his resignation in January. He is credited with being a key person who helped save the community hospital and transfer it into public ownership and stabilize it when HCA Columbia threatened to close it in 1998. Prior to that, he had a 40-year career in finance and development most recently as the city of Healdsburg's director of finance and development.

"Nobody could find funding like Kurt could find funding," one of the speakers said Wednesday. "Kurt knows everyone in healthcare and everyone in Sacramento. He has worked 20 hours a week—a part-time job—for the district. Normally, you'd have to be convicted of something to do that much community service. To my knowledge, he hasn't been convicted."

Chief Operating Officer Jan Kiely said, "Kurt made sure we had a hospital into the future."

Staff made a memory book for Hahn and served cake on Wednesday.

In his resignation, Hahn said he wanted to spend time with family now, at age 75.

Over the years, he has been on the forefront of upgrading hospital services, according to a hospital news release, and has been involved in the California Hospital Association, Boy Scouts, the American Legion and the county Taxpayers Association.

Follow Healdsburg Patch on Facebook and Twitter.