Running a community hospital means ensuring the best possible care while being a good steward of resources.

It’s a daily decision-making job that Mitch Hanna, chief administrative officer at Sutter Auburn Faith, has enjoyed doing for nearly 10 years.

Hanna, a lawyer specializing in corporate health law, got his first taste of hospital administration while working as general counsel and chief administrative officer at Memorial Medical Center in Modesto. After the hospital affiliated with Sutter in 1996, he went back to the law side, handling three hospitals and a medical group.

“I did that for three-and-a-half years, but really missed the administrative side,” he said. “Then this position opened in Auburn. We had family up here and loved the area. So I applied and I’ve never looked back. I love the area, love the people and love the job.”

His family includes his wife, Jane, and twins — son, Grant, and daughter, Morgan.

Hanna is active in the community as a member of Auburn Rotary Club, on the board of PEACE for Families and Pleasant Ridge Union School District, and in Boy Scouts — his son is working on Eagle Scout.

In his spare time, he skis, plays tennis and loves to travel.

Early in his career, he and his wife lived in Saudi Arabia where he worked for a health care group.

“My real interest was international law,” he said. “Then I became a health care specialist.”

The family most recently took a cruise on the Mediterranean and spent 10 days in Italy.

“I was pickpocketed there, so I had the full tourist experience,” Hanna said.

At the hospital, one of the biggest challenges is diminishing resources.

“We’re seeing patients who don’t have the ability to pay for services they’re provided,” he said. “As a community nonprofit, we feel obliged that they receive the care they need. Yet, no (profit) margin — no mission. You have to weigh the financial concerns of the hospital with our mission.”

Auburn Faith is also experiencing the national trend of declining census — filling fewer beds.

“Whereas, 15 years go, you would have stayed in an obstetrics unit for four or five days, now you’re in for a couple of days. Post-op could be four or five days, and now it’s three or four days for most joint (hip or knee replacement) implants, and therapies are better and faster. We’re getting people up and walking sooner.”

The hospital has already reduced beds from 105 to 97. The next step — privatizing the rooms —will bring it to 65.

“We’ve only done two rooms and are waiting for feedback,” he said. “We will be continuing on within the next month but it won’t be completed for a year and a half so as not to disrupt patient operations.”

There are challenges, but there are also rewards.

“We’ve been recognized three years running by the largest organization representing (not-for-profit) hospitals in the treatment of heart attack, congestive heart failure, pneumonia and surgical infection prevention,” Hanna said. “For anyone in those areas, they want to look at Sutter Auburn Faith as the place to go. It is an outstanding place to receive care and, beyond that, we know our limits. When patients require services we know we can’t provide, we transfer them as quickly as possible.”

Dr. Stuart Campbell, chief of staff who has been associated with the hospital since 1992, enjoys working with Hanna.

“I think since Hanna has come, there’s been very excellent direction to try and keep our facility providing the highest quality services that the community really needs — basic medical care, intensive medical care, obstetrics care and all of the other subspecializations needed in the community,” he said. “He’s quite committed to providing quality health care to the community …”

Yvette Martinez, human resource manager at Sutter Auburn Faith, admires Hanna’s teamwork and open-communication approach.

“He works well not only with our administrative team, but our staff and our employees,” she said.

The Journal’s Gloria Young can be reached at gloriay@goldcountrymedia.com or comment at Auburnjournal.com.