The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has had the same man the helm of the Canandaigua VA Medical Center since late 2007. Craig Howard has worked for the VA for 37 years. At the end of the May, Howard will retire.
Howard told WXXI’s Michelle Faust working with the medical center’s 1,000 employees was the highlight of his seven and a half year tenure. Another source of pride for the director are the 4 hotlines housed on the Canandaigua campus, most well-known of which is the national Veterans Crisis Line featured in an HBO documentary. The medical center has grown to serve more than 20,000 vets since Howard took the lead.