Caring for our community – Canyon View Medical

Inspired by Heroes – Bennion Veterans Home

Posted on March 11, 2022January 13, 2023 by Avery Dustin

Hiking is one of the favorite recreational activities for my family and me. The scenic vistas and the peace of the trail are always refreshing. A few years ago, we ventured to the Redwood Forest and hiked amongst the giants of the forest. I marveled at the size of the redwood trees as they stretched toward the sky. You cannot help but feel that you are amid greatness.

In 2013, I had the opportunity to become the medical director of the Bennion Veterans Home in Payson and continue to serve in that capacity. The veterans home is a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility for veterans and spouses of veterans.

There is a similar feeling of inspiration as I care for the veterans there. These veterans have been and continue to be heroes to freedom.

Many have visible signs of their sacrifice made in service to others. I am among giants as I walk those halls. I appreciate the chance to work with the veterans and their families. Their service and dedication inspire me.

Utah Rotary Youth Exchange

Posted on January 20, 2022November 30, 2022 by Avery Dustin

My name is Aaron Lowe. I am the Practice Administrator for Canyon View Medical Group. I was fortunate to spend my junior year of high school as a foreign exchange student in Copenhagen, Denmark. That year abroad changed my life and has shaped many of my life choices. The organization that I went with was Rotary International. Rotary is a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

As an adult, I have become involved in Rotary again. Locally, the Spanish Fork Rotary Club does many service projects to help the community, including raising funds to provide over 20 college scholarships per year or providing dictionaries to 3rd graders in Nebo School District. Internationally, Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 35 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever. As a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, we’ve reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979.

The role I am most excited by, with my involvement in Rotary, is through my services as the Outbound Coordinator for Utah Rotary Youth Exchange. We send approximately 20 students worldwide each year, some for just a summer exchange and some for an entire school year. I get to help students across Utah become foreign exchange students like I did when I was a youth. Students learn a new language, discover another culture, and truly become global citizens.

Caring For The Players

Posted on January 20, 2022January 13, 2023 by Avery Dustin

As a physician, it is often part of the calling to provide medical support and coverage for various community events outside of typical working hours. As a sports medicine specialist, it’s even more common, especially for game coverage. I’ve had many opportunities over the years, including several over the past year and a half since moving to practice in south Utah County.

I have been privileged to provide medical coverage and assistance at Spanish Fork Dons High School football games for the past two seasons. Thankfully, Spanish Fork has a superb athletic trainer, and there hasn’t been a need for anything too medically serious for the game. During medical event coverage, the hope is always that nothing major happens, yet still anticipate that anything can happen and to be prepared for the worst.

When I provide coverage at a sporting event, I have to remain mindful of the primary reason for being there. It’s sometimes hard to stay vigilant for injuries or medical concerns as I’m a sports fan in general and get into the game and have to fight my desire to get too involved in the action.

Sideline and game coverage typically provides plenty of opportunities for medical issues, from the routine to the fascinating, even bizarre. I have treated a myriad of conditions, including common orthopedic injuries, such as fractures and dislocations, to bee stings and bites (yes, human) to dislodged teeth and contact lenses to bleeding nipples while running and bleeding from the eyes (scary looking, but simply from a hard hit to the nose, sending blood up through the tear ducts) to complete loss of consciousness (always a concerning moment) and full toenail avulsion during a triathlon transition after somehow getting caught in the chain/gears. I’ve even been called into the stands to treat fans for issues, from a sprained ankle while jumping around on the bleachers (a little too excited) to a potential heart attack (way too excited).

Additional event coverage included the Speedy Spaniard 10k, plus the unique opportunity to provide medical support at the Fiesta Days Rodeo, which involved lacerations, head injuries, and orthopedic injuries from being kicked, stepped on, or thrown by bulls (who signs up for this again?).

As an active individual and ‘weekend warrior’ myself, it is always fun and rewarding to be directly involved in community events.

Latinos In Action

Posted on November 11, 2021December 5, 2022 by Avery Dustin

My name is Daeli Mendoza. I am a lab tech in our Springville Family Medicine office. Outside of work, I am involved in Latinos in Action, a community organization dedicated to bridging Latino students’ graduation and opportunity gap, working from within the educational system to create positive change.

About LIA

One of the many ways we serve in our community is through tutoring; we go to elementary schools and help kids with their homework, reading, and projects. Another aspect of tutoring isn’t in our “job description” but is a more significant part of what we do – it is about being someone for these kids to whom they can look up.

These schools are diverse, and we have to show the students that anything is possible no matter their background or skin color. It is about being someone these children can confide in about things that have little to do with homework or school, but we are there to listen to them. It is about being their friend when they otherwise don’t have any. Although we do this for an hour a day, once a week, which is nothing for most people, it is everything for these kids. Their eyes light up every time they see us walk through the doors, and that is something I will never forget, and I’m hoping that neither will they.

Giving Back to Education

Posted on November 9, 2021December 5, 2022 by Avery Dustin

In 1984, Carl Nielson was my high school counselor at Spanish Fork High School. He called me into his office, which made me a bit nervous. I thought Mr. Nielson would yell at me for some things that may or may not have happened on the previous Saturday night. Instead, Mr. Nielson congratulated me on my academic achievement and told me, “if you wanted, I think you could make it to medical school.” Fifteen years later, Carl Nielson became the Nebo School District Superintendent, the same year that I joined Canyon View Medical Group as a young physician. His belief in me and his devotion to education made me what I am today.

I strongly feel that K-12 education is vital to our community and recently decided to dedicate some of my time and energy to making sure that other kids can be inspired and allowed to excel. I was elected in 2020 to the Nebo School District Board of Education, and now I spend time each month reviewing and developing policies, working with district administrative staff, and overseeing the finances of our local school district.

I am excited to be part of the Nebo District and particularly look forward to rebuilding Springville, Spanish Fork, and Payson High Schools. I am amazed at the quality of our staff and the dedication they have to educate our children. While I love practicing medicine, I also love learning about how schools are run and financed and helping the district teach our children and inspire another generation.

4-H

Posted on November 3, 2021December 7, 2022 by Avery Dustin

4-H

My name is Natalie Banks. I have been a medical assistant since 1999, working with Dr. McVey in our Spanish Fork Pediatrics office for the past four years. I am married to Norman Banks, a life-long native of Palmyra, Utah, and together we have six children. We live on a 5th generation family farm where we raise and sell seed stock Simmental and Angus Bulls around the country. We also raise and sell show pigs for Junior Livestock shows around the state. We keep busy as the local 4-H club leaders in Palmyra and are proud that we just hosted the 65th Annual Palmyra Community Jr. Livestock Show in April!

We appreciate the support Canyon View Medical Group provides as a Utah State Junior Livestock Show sponsor each year. Our children breed, raise and train their own steers, heifers, pigs, lambs, and goats to show throughout the state of Utah from April to September of each year. Show kids and their livestock compete and are ranked on their marketability and showmanship skills. They can win buckles, ribbons, prizes, and cash. At the end of these shows, they participate in an auction where they get to sell their projects to raise money for their college education!