Hannah Hanford (Provided photo — Lisa Keegan Photography)

SARANAC LAKE — At the end of the year, Hannah Hanford will retire after 14 years as the Adirondack Health Foundation’s executive director.

“I feel very fortunate to have been able to carry Adirondack Health’s flag to the community and to our donors,” she said. “I’m proud of the progress we’ve made over the years and the many lives that have been touched by equipment and projects that we’ve been able to fund through philanthropy.”

During her 12 years as head of the Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital Foundation, Hanford came to know Cheryl Breen Randall, former executive director of the Adirondack Health Foundation, as a colleague and friend. This connection would bring Hanford back to the Adirondacks years later. In 2008, the recession put a damper on fundraising nationwide, at a time when Hanford was raising funds for the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and looking for a new position. Hanford said the “perfect job at the perfect time” presented itself when Randall announced her plans to retire.

Hanford was excited to return home to the Adirondacks — she grew up in Keeseville and later graduated from the Town of Webb High School in Old Forge.

“Cheryl grew a very solid and strong fundraising program at Adirondack Health, and I was fortunate enough to come along and take it to the next level,” Hanford said.

During her time at the Adirondack Health Foundation, Hanford said points of pride were the Future of Care Campaign, which raised funds for the construction of the new surgical services and supply chain departments at Adirondack Medical Center and construction of the Lake Placid Health and Medical Fitness Center on Old Military Road. She also singled out the Cornerstone Campaign, which is in the final stages of fundraising to completely renovate the two patient floors at Adirondack Medical Center and re-locate and expand the renal dialysis center at AMC. Annually, Hanford said the Foundation has raised funds for various larger capital purchases, including the 3-D mammography equipment in the medical imaging department.

“First and foremost, Adirondack Health provides exceptional care and without the incredible work of all of our physicians and staff, the Foundation wouldn’t be successful,” Hanford said. “Before we can go to the community and ask for support, we have to have a very strong case, and our case makes itself because of the compassionate, high-quality care we provide and the gratitude felt by people who receive care here.”

In addition, Hanford said many donors recognize the economic importance of Adirondack Health to the region. The organization is the largest private employer inside the Adirondack Park, and a major economic driver.

Having worked for 24 years for CVPH — a larger hospital in a larger community — Hanford said she wasn’t sure what to expect at Adirondack Health, but was blown away by the outstanding support rendered by staff, boards of trustees, community members, businesses and second-home owners, who value having a vibrant hospital in the heart of the Adirondacks.

“It’s been such a pleasure over the years to get to know so many, not only as donors but also as friends,” Hanford said. “That’s been the joy of my job. It isn’t just asking people to support Adirondack Health; it’s becoming a friend and someone they can call when they have a question about healthcare. Those relationships are very special to me. They take time to build. They’re built on trust and a common belief in the importance of healthcare for this region.”

Hanford said she never dreamed she’d be in fundraising as a profession, but she fell into it naturally. She said her progression at CVPH exposed her to many facets of healthcare, including nutritional services, human resources, and physician recruitment.

“When I moved into the foundation role, I had a very solid understanding of how the hospital worked,” she said. “I think what’s really important for any fundraiser is that they believe with all of their heart that the organization they represent, and are inviting donors to invest in, offers exceptional care. Without a doubt, that’s one of the things that gives me the greatest pride. I can look any donor in the eye and say, ‘Your investment is going to touch families, friends and neighbors, and the care they will receive is beyond what they would expect’ because we have such an incredible and compassionate caregiving team and support staff. This is a jewel of a hospital tucked away in the mountains of the Adirondacks.”

Going back to the beginning, Hannah said Adirondack Health has a strong legacy of exceeding expectations for a system of its size. Even back when Dr. E.L. Trudeau brought colleagues in from New York City and to the original Saranac Lake General Hospital, Hanford said they offered services many similar-sized hospitals didn’t have.

“We’ve always just had that extra edge,” she said. “And you add to it that we are small enough here that we are friends and family taking care of friends and family, and that shows. We don’t treat our patients as numbers in rooms. We look at them as whole people, connect with them and give them that extra special personal touch that is meaningful and impactful and resonates.”

Despite the small size and remote location, Hanford said many of her donors from larger cities tell her stories of how they needed care while they were in the Adirondacks and weren’t sure what to expect. She said so many of them come away from their experiences at Adirondack Health blown away by how modern and clean the facilities are, but more importantly, how warm and caring each person they encountered was.

Hanford plans to retire Dec. 31, as Adirondack Health’s Cornerstone Campaign nears the final stretch of its $11 million fundraising goal. She stressed that it’s an extremely important project because patient care is what sets the stage for many donors’ positive healthcare experiences.

“I wanted to be sure our nursing and caregiving staff work in an environment that is equal to the quality of care that they provide,” she said. “We want to give them a workplace they feel proud of and look forward to going to work in every day. Much of the rest of the hospital has been modernized and upgraded, and our two patient floors are one of the last projects to bring Adirondack Medical Center into the 21st century.”

In her retirement, Hanford said she’s looking forward to the next phase of her life and that she’ll be just down the road in Wilmington, and on Lake Clear in the summers. She’ll stay plenty busy serving on several boards, including the Lake Placid Rotary, and as president of the Lake Clear Association.