Toby Cosgrove says no to Secretary of VA nomination

CLEVELAND - Toby Cosgrove has pulled himself out of consideration for the post of Secretary of VA.

Although the Obama Administration had contacted Cosgrove about the position in the Department of Veterans Affairs not long ago, he is choosing to withdraw himself from being considered. Cosgrove is currently the CEO and president of the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.

He released a press statement Saturday afternoon which said:

'I am humbled and honored to have been considered for the opportunity to help Veterans across the United States. This is an enormous responsibility and one that deserved careful thought and consideration. As a physician, veteran, and hospital chief executive, I have great respect for the care provided to the Veteran community and for those who work to care for them. This has been an extraordinarily difficult decision, but I have decided to withdraw from consideration from this position and remain at the Cleveland Clinic, due to the commitment I have made to the organization, our patients and the work that still needs to be done here.'

Some of that work includes a cancer center and neurology expansion, the completion of a 364-bed facility in Abu Dhabi, and an $80 dollar partnership with Case Western Reserve University(CWRU) that will give the Cleveland Clinic partial ownership and control over CWRU's new medical educational building.

The position of Secretary of VA was previously filled by former United States Army general Eric Shinseki. Shinseki was forced to resign from his position following a scandal involving the Veterans Health Administration, which is part of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The scandal involved falsified records and substandard timely care. It also possibility lead to the death of 18 veterans who were kept off an official waiting list to receive needed medical care.

Currently, Sloan D. Gibson is the Acting Secretary of VA.

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