DAYTON — Regaining veteran and community trust in the scandal-marred Dayton VA Medical Center is the top priority for its new director.

“That’s something we’re going to be working hard on,” Glenn A. Costie told the Dayton Daily News on Monday, his first day on the job.

For the past three years, Costie, 50, has served as director of the John J. Pershing VA Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Prior to that, he was associate medical center director for operations in Maryland. His career with the VA spans 27 years.

His annual salary will be $173,000.

Costie said there’s a “symbolic gap” between the Dayton area and the Dayton VA that he hopes to bridge through community involvement and outreach. A Kiwanis member, he hopes to become involved with a local chapter of the volunteer group .

Costie also wants to work in some fashion with the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce. And he plans to augment the VA’s visibility at large community gatherings.

Costie hopes to increase the number of veterans served by the Dayton VA by 5 percent this fiscal year. The Dayton VA currently has 39,154 patients enrolled, and has a below-average market penetration of 22 percent. Costie said the Pershing VA Medical Center had a market penetration of about 50 percent. He’d like enrollment at the Dayton VA to eventually reach 60,000, though he had no clear timetable in mind for that goal.

Costie said he also wants to create an environment in which VA employees feel comfortable with sharing their concerns.

“People feel like they express concerns about care, or express concerns about what they see other employees doing, and it falls on deaf ears,” Costie said. “I want to try to create an environment where people are rewarded for bringing up what can be uncomfortable topics sometimes. You may be talking about a colleague, and you need to find a way to express that respectfully. But you need to express it if we’re going to improve care for our veterans.”

Costie’s boss, Jack Hetrick, director of the regional VA network that includes Ohio’s VA hospitals, said Costie will “set a confident tone” at the Dayton VA.

“I’m excited for Glenn to be here,” Hetrick said. “I think once people get to know him, they’ll be as excited as we are.”

Costie replaces William Montague, who had served as the VA’s acting director. Montague was brought out of retirement to steer the hospital temporarily after a scandal in the hospital’s dental clinic prompted Director Guy Richardson’s reassignment in March.

Richardson’s reassignment followed revelations that a dentist in the Dayton VA’s dental clinic allegedly failed to change gloves and sterilize dental equipment between patients. That alleged poor infection control potentially put the health of hundreds — if not thousands — of veterans at risk between 1992 and 2010.

Hetrick said Montague made strides in improving the Dayton VA’s scores in patient satisfaction, and also sped up the hospital’s hiring process.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville, expressed approval for both Montague’s efforts and the appointment of Costie as the new director. DaytonDailyNews.com.