Caring, Candlelight and Community:
Celebrating Our Healthcare Legacy
Please join us on Saturday, March 9, for this year’s Caring, Candlelight and Community celebration at the Keene Country Club. The reception will begin at 6:00 pm, with dinner and the program to follow at 7:00 pm.
During this special event, we will honor two extraordinary individuals who have made an impact on our community’s health and wellness: Bill Chase, MD and Jay Kahn.
This year’s Tribute celebration will benefit the Patient Care Equipment Fund, helping our non-profit Medical Center to purchase a new equipment and technologies for the ICU, Thompson in-patient unit, and Birthing Pavilion.
Purchase your tickets for the in-person event at the Keene Country Club or sign up for the live stream.
Our honorees
Bill Chase, MD
William (Bill) Chase, MD was meant to be a physician. The son of an anesthesiologist and an operating room nurse, his interest in surgery began early and after graduating from Colby College he attended Jefferson Medical College. Deferred by the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War due to his surgical training, he subsequently completed his military service in Alaska. Bill returned to New England planning to join a surgical group and was drawn to Keene by the brand new Cheshire Hospital and multi-specialty group practice at the Keene Clinic. He later earned a master’s degree in management from Antioch and served as the Clinic’s president. Bill retired from Cheshire Medical Center nearly 25 years ago but has continued to care for others. He served in the American College of Surgeon’s Commission on Cancer through 2019. Medical volunteer activities have taken him to Haiti, Nepal, Lesotho, and Tanzania. With Global Volunteers he has worked in Ecuador, St. Lucia, West Virginia, and Montana. Locally, he volunteers with Project Home, helping asylum seekers navigate the healthcare system to obtain care. Bill helped establish Westmoreland’s Emergency Management Department, of which he is currently deputy director, and is an active member of the Westmoreland Town Band. He currently serves on Cheshire Health Foundation’s Board of Trustees. An active outdoorsman, Bill enjoys mountain climbing, sailing and spending time with his wife of 60 years, Barbara. Thank you, Dr. Chase, for your immeasurable contributions to the health and well-being of the Greater Monadnock community and beyond!
Jay Kahn
Jay Kahn came to the Monadnock region 35 years ago when he was recruited as Keene State College’s vice president of finance and planning. His passion for education, rural economic progress and healthcare drove his involvement in various local nonprofit organizations, including Monadnock Economic Development Corp., Greater Keene Chamber of Commerce, and Cheshire Medical Center. He was a trustee on the Medical Center’s board prior to serving as its chair from 2011-13. During his tenure Cheshire began exploring integrating with Dartmouth Health. Jay served as a New Hampshire State Senator from 2016-22. He championed many healthcare-related issues during his time in office, including improving Medicaid reimbursement rates, adjusting licensing requirements for nurses and physicians, and expanding reciprocity between states for healthcare licensure. As the chair of the Senate’s Education & Workforce Committee, he was instrumental to introducing a Licensed Practical Nursing program at River Valley, a program now available at four of the seven community colleges in the state. Jay was working on a bill to expand telehealth services prior to the COVID-19 global pandemic, an effort that combined foresight and practicality with incredible timeliness. Jay’s senate term ended in December 2022 and in November 2023 he was elected Mayor of the City of Keene. He remains staunchly committed to the health and well-being of Keene and other Greater Monadnock communities, and for that we are grateful. Thank you, Jay!
Thank you to our sponsors!
Platinum sponsors
Gold sponsors
