Costie returns to lead Dayton VA

Dayton VA Medical Center Director Glenn Costie will return to the hospital campus after acting as interim director of the embattled Cincinnati VA, the federal agency said Monday.

Acting leader in Cincinnati since May, Costie served in the same role at the Phoenix VA Medical Center in Arizona for several months in 2014 after that hospital became embroiled in a scandal in over lengthy delays about patient appointment wait times.

Vivian Huston, an Army medical officer who retired as a colonel, will take over the top leadership post in Cincinnati, according to the VA.

Costie was not available for comment Monday, said Ted Froats, Dayton VA spokesman. Costie was expected to return to Dayton this week.

VA Secretary Robert McDonald put Costie in charge of the Cincinnati VA after dozens of whistleblower concerns over patient care and actions taken against some senior leaders.

During Costie’s absence, Mark Murdock became interim director of the Dayton VA. Murdock, a former Air Force medical service officer, has acted as deputy administrator in some capacity since 2010.

Costie, 55, a Virginia native started at the Department of Veterans Affairs in 1984. The Virginia Tech graduate with a degree in mechanical engineering worked at medical centers in Ohio, West Virginia, Illinois, Connecticut, Maryland and Missouri before arriving in Dayton. He spent 15 years at the Cleveland VA, managing $750 million in construction projects.

He was appointed Dayton VA Medical director in 2011 after an investigation over concerns about a dentist who was found to not have changed gloves or properly sanitized equipment between patients, archives show.

The Dayton VA serves more than 38,000 veterans. Along with the main campus in Dayton, it oversees four medical clinics in Middletown, Springfield, Lima and Richmond, Ind.

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