Dr. Howard Hurt to Retire as Bay County Medical Director

Dr. Kirk Herrick Recommended by County Committee for Appointment to Post

July 16, 2009
By: Dave Rogers

Dr. Howard Hurt, D.O., Bay CountyHealth Department Medical Director for more than a quarter of a century, is retiring from the post, but not from active medical practice.

Dr. Hurt has informed the county that he intends to end his contractual obligation as soon as a replacement is secured.

Dr. Hurt, a graduate of the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, took his internal medicine training through Michigan State University in Kalamazoo and at Mt. Vernon Hospital.

He remains a practitioner at the Bay Area Health Clinic, 3720 Katalin Court, Bay City.

The Bay County Board of Commissioners Personnel/Judicial Committee is considering appointment of Dr. Kirk Herrick, D.O., as an independent contractor to fill the Medical Director's post.

A resolution of the committee to be considered next Tuesday provides that Dr. Herrick needs approval by the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) to complete his appointment. If MDCH mandates additional educational requirements, Dr. Herrick's appointment would be considered "provisional" until those requirements are met.

The contractual agreement provides for payment of $48,000 annually for provisional status or $51,000 under fully qualified status, according to county sources.