Dr. Art Costin honored at May 7 open house
“If you had the chance to sit and talk with your friends every day, would you want to give that up?”
The decision to retire after practicing family medicine for nearly 48 years has been an emotional one for Dr. Art Costin, he related earlier this month. The family physician said he was privileged to develop close bonds with his patients and get to know and treat their children and grandchildren over the past nearly five decades at Costin Family Practice, located at the historic Swan building, 130 N. Detroit St., Bellefontaine.
“You get very close to some of your patients; you’re involved in their lives. It makes it hard to step away,” said the Bellefontaine High School graduate, who marks his 75th birthday on May 9.
Costin Family Practice, which was founded by his father Dr. James Costin and now includes a third generation of the family with his son Dr. Scott Costin, is preparing for a retirement celebration next month to honor Dr. Art Costin’s contributions to the community.
Family, friends, patients and colleagues are invited to join them for a gathering from 4 to 7 p.m. Sunday, May 7, at the Fion Wine Room, 7486 State 117, Huntsville.
“We want to give him a well-deserved retirement celebration and thank him for his longtime service,” said Costin Family Practice office manager Megan Hogue, who was hired at the practice in 1991.
“He’s going to be missed by all of us at the office. He has been like a father figure to me since I started working here, a true mentor.”
After his BHS graduation, Dr. Costin attended Wilmington College from 1966 through 1970, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree.
Although he grew up with his father serving as a physician, he initially thought he might want to pursue work in the construction industry like his grandfather Zohar Costin, who founded Costin Construction.
However, during his sophomore year of college, Dr. Costin said a biology course and encouragement from that professor made him seriously consider changing his major to pre-med.
“And here we are today,” he said with a chuckle.
From 1970 to 1974, Dr. Costin attended Kirksville College of Osteopathy in Kirksville, Mo., graduating with his Doctor of Osteopathy degree. He completed an internship at Carson City Osteopathic Hospital in Carson City, Mich., from 1974 to 1975.
His career at Costin Family Practice began in 1975, when he joined his father at the practice. Dr. James Costin began practicing at the Swan building in 1937, and built a long legacy there like his son, retiring in the late 1980s after nearly 50 years in the medical field. Then Dr. Scott Costin joined the practice in 1998.
Also leaving its mark on the medical community in Logan County, the Swan building was built in 1910 by Dr. Guy H. Swan. It has been a medical office ever since.
Dr. Art Costin’s early years there provided some memorable experiences. He said they used to make house calls, and he even treated some animals from time-to-time, including pigs.
Also starting in 1975 and continuing for about 10 years, Dr. Costin delivered babies at Mary Rutan Hospital, since there was not an obstetrician on staff at the hospital that time. He recounted one of the best Christmas days in his memory.
“I got to have breakfast with my family, and then I went to the hospital and delivered twins,” he said. “Then we had Christmas dinner with our family. It was the perfect day.
“I was able to deliver about 1,000 babies over those 10 years. It was so special to be the first one to hold those babies and to share in the experience with the families.”
The Blizzard of 1978 presented some particularly unique challenges as well, Dr. Costin recounted, including riding on a backhoe to get to Mary Rutan Hospital to reach expectant mothers in labor.
For one of those infants born during the blizzard, an immediate transfer to a Dayton hospital was needed because the young patient had a condition called hyaline membrane disease. Crews attempted to get the baby out of town via ambulance, with two snowplows driving ahead of the emergency vehicle. However, the entourage became stuck in the snow near West Liberty, Dr. Costin said.
In an effort to continue their journey to Dayton, the infant and medical staff boarded the caboose of a train. Unfortunately, the train’s engine also hit a snow drift, so the trek came to an end and the infant passed away.
The team’s valiant attempts to save the child made national headlines during the blizzard, Dr. Costin related.
“Sometimes despite our best efforts, death can be just around the corner and it can hit you hard,” he said. “It’s the circle of life and we’re there to help families through the difficulties that might come their way.”
Another major milestone for Costin Family Practice and Dr. Costin included serving from the early 1990s to early 2000s as the company physician for more than 30 major Logan County businesses and corporations, including AcuSport Corp, Belletech, Logan County Electric Cooperative, Mary Rutan Hospital, Transportation Research Center and Wal-Mart, along with employees of the City of Bellefontaine and Bellefontaine City Schools.
They provided hiring physicals, flu shots and other medical services for the industry-related needs.
Throughout the years, Dr. Costin has been a member of the American Osteopathic Association, the Ohio Osteopathic Association, Ohio State Medical Association and the Logan County Chamber of Commerce. He was a part of the Hardin Memorial Hospital staff from 1991 to 1998, and a Mary Rutan Hospital staff member starting in 1975 to the present day.
His numerous leadership roles at Mary Rutan Hospital have included vice chief of staff in 1980, chief of staff in 1982 and 1983, chief of obstetrics in 1978, along with serving on the hospital board of trustees from 1984 to 1990 and other committees. Dr. Costin also served as the medical director at Heartland of Bellefontaine from 2002 to 2009.
In retirement, his adventures aren’t likely to slow down, as he and his wife of 55 years, Diana, have plenty of hobbies to keep them busy. The couple recently returned from a trip to Honduras that included scuba diving. They also enjoy snow skiing, with ventures to the Western U.S. and to Europe.
Dr. Art and Diana Costin are looking forward to spending their retirement days with their family, including Dr. Scott and his wife Dr. Linda Costin and their four children who live locally, and their daughter Alexa and her two children who reside in Texas, where Alexa works for NASA.
The longtime family physician said he will still be a regular face on the sidelines on the Bellefontaine High School football games, where he served as the team physician for a number of years, and for other BHS sports teams as well.
“We’ll still be a part of our football family,” he said, while showcasing various Chieftain football memorabilia in a patient room at the practice.