Frederic M. Civish, MD

I was born in Dragerton, Utah, a small coal mining town in the southeastern part of the state, but I was raised in Southern California and Salt Lake City, Utah. I entered the University of Utah at 16 years of age. At such a young age I could not decide on my lifetime career, so I spent several years studying various majors and I gained experience by working full time, both while in and out of school. During this period, I also served a two year mission for the LDS church in Southern Florida and Puerto Rico, where I learned to speak Spanish fluently. Later I married my wife, Maria, and today we have four great kids, Amber, Julia, Freddie, and Steven. I returned to college in 1980 and graduated from the University of Utah with a Bacherlor of Arts degree in Biology in 1984. I entered the University of Utah School of Medicine that Autumn.

Since early medical school, I was particularly interested in primary care medicine, and I studied in the Family Practice Honors Program. I was also very active in numerous organizations and committees. I was instructor in Embryology/Child Development at the Utah Teen Mother’s Home. At various times I served on the College Council, and was Vice President then President of the UMA/AMA Medical Student Section. I served on the Salt Lake County Medical Association Board of Trustees for one year, then spent another year on the Utah Medical Association Board of Trustees.

After finishing medical school in 1988, I did my internship year of Family Practice Residency at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida. I finished my last two years of residency training at the University of Wyoming Family Practice Residency Program at Cheyenne.

I have been in private practice since July, 1991 at Hunter Medical Center in West Valley City. I recently opened a second location, Jordan Meadows Medical Center, in West Jordan. I enjoy helping and teaching my patients very much.

Jackie Fonua, PA-C

My name is Jackie Fonua. I am a physician assistant with Dr. Civish and I have been working with him since early 1996. I was born and raised in Salt Lake City. I attended West High School where I met my husband, Stoney. We have four very good children, two beautiful grandchildren, and a lovely daughter-in-law.

After getting married, I attended Weber State. This is where I received my degree in nursing. I have worked 15 years in the nursing field, 14 of those years in emergency rooms at various hospitals in Salt Lake. I returned to school in 1995 to become a Physician Assistant. My training was done at the University of Utah with an emphasis in Family Practice.

Although I miss the emergency department a great deal, I feel that there is a more important need for primary care providers. This has been a very rewarding experience for me. It has allowed me to see all aspects of health care, including preventative services which I feel is one of the most important aspects of health care today.

Working at Jordan Meadows Medical Center has also been a nice experience. Since I live in the area, it gives me a chance to help the many people that live in our community. I hope that I will be able to continue with this for many years to come.

Steven W. Larsen, FNP

My name is Steve Larsen and I am a Family Nurse Practitioner at Jordan Meadows Medical and Hunter Medical Centers. I grew up in Southern California in the Los Angeles area. My mother was a nurse and her experience in the medical field prompted me to pursue a similar career.

I served a two year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Columbia, South America. Learning the Spanish language has been very rewarding for me both personally and professionally.

I received my bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Brigham Young University and am still a huge BYU football supporter (casual conversations about the team, while enjoyable will cut the amount of time available to actually discuss your health and reasons you are in the clinic today, as well as get me in trouble with our office manager, so we should probably keep things on a professional level). That said, one of the reasons I love my job is that I get to know lots of people personally and to help them with their problems.

After BYU I worked for two years on the Medical-Oncology floor at Utah Valley Regional Medical Center. Graduate school took me to North Carolina, where I got my Master’s degree in the Primary Care/Family Nurse Practitioner program from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While at UNC, I worked full-time in the Hematology/Oncology unit. My background in oncology, along with my mother’s death at an early age from breast cancer, has possibly made me hypersensitive to cancer screening and prevention. As primary care provider, I feel I stand on very few soap boxes, but this is definitely one of them.

My first job out of graduate school was at a community health center. Ninety percent of the patient population I served were migrant farm workers. I enjoyed the time I spent working within this community and still enjoy very close relationships with the Hispanic communities in West Jordan and West Valley.

In September 1999, I accepted a position at Jordan Meadows/Hunter Medical Centers and my wife and I moved our family across the country for the second time in 3 years. We (my wife and our three children) are thrilled to be back in Utah and among family and friends. It has been exciting to see the growth of both our community and Jordan Meadows Medical Center.

I look forward to being and integral part of the team of the providers at these two clinics for many years to come.

Michelle Dahle, FNP

My name is Michelle Dahle, but I prefer to be called Chelle. I am a Family Nurse Practitioner at Jordan Meadows and Hunter Medical Centers.

I was born and raised in West Valley City, Utah. I attended high school at Granger High. After high school, I attended Weber State University for my Registered Nursing degree.

I worked as a Registered Nurse for twelve years at LDS Hospital before coming to work here at Jordan Meadows. During my many years of hospital experience, I have been a clinical nurse and a charge nurse. Working on the Medical Unit has led me to see that there is a great need for preventative health care.

I graduated from Westminster College of Nursing with my Master’s of Science as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Working as a Nurse Practitioner has fulfilled a lifetime aspiration of mine to be able to care for people. I genuinely enjoy working with all age groups of patients and performing preventative health care.

I married my high school sweetheart, Jesse. We have two beautiful children: a daughter and son. We live in West Jordan and love it out here.

I look forward to being able to serve the people of our community for many years to come.

Elyse Lake, FNP

Hello. My name is Elyse Lake, and I am a Family Nurse Practitioner at Jordan Meadows and Hunter Medical Centers.

I was born and raised in Sandy, Utah. I attended high school at Juan Diego Catholic High School in Draper. After graduating high school, I attended Westminster College of Nursing and graduated with my Bachelor of Science as a Registered Nurse.

After college, I participated in the Critical Care Internship at the University of Utah Hospital to become qualified to work as an intensive care nurse. For four years following completion of the internship, I was employed as an intensive care nurse in various units at the University of Utah and Intermountain Medical Center Hospitals, where I was also a charge nurse and a member of the cardiac arrest team.

In 2010, I graduated from Westminster College of Nursing with my Master of Science as a Family Nurse Practitioner and joined Jordan Meadows and Hunter Medical. My favorite part of working as a Family Nurse Practitioner has been really getting to know my patients and address their health concnerns and preventative care needs in a way that was not possible in an intensive care setting.

I married my best friend, Bryan, and we live in Salt Lake City with our two big, crazy dogs.

I look forward to meeting you!

John Nielsen, FNP

My name is John Nielsen and I am a Family Nurse Practitioner at Jordan Meadows and Hunter Medical Centers. I grew up in Orem, Utah but have lived all over the state of Utah. I served a two-year LDS mission in Sao Paulo Brazil, where I learned to speak Portuguese fluently and am now transitioning over to Spanish.

I attended Southern Utah University and completed my Bachelor of Science Nursing. After graduation, I was accepted into the University of Utah’s Critical Care Internship program where I was trained to work in the Medical ICU, Burn Trauma ICU, Neuro ICU, Surgical ICU, Cardiovascular ICU and Emergency Room. While at the U of U I was a charge nurse, Brain attack nurse, Neuro-Emergent Trauma nurse and a member of the C-arrest team. The time I spent at the U of U was immeasurable and has helped me enormously in my profession as a Family Nurse Practitioner. After five years of working in the ICU, I graduated from Graceland University in Independence, Missouri as a Family Nurse Practitioner.

I married my best friend and we have three beautiful children. When I am not working, you can find me in the mountains either fishing or chasing monster bucks and bulls with a bow. I am a people person with a good sense of humor. I genuinely love to work with people of all ages and am excited to be here.

Abbie Spainhower, FNP

My name is Abbie Spainhower. I am a Family Nurse Practitioner at Jordan Meadows and Hunter Medical Center.

I grew up in South Jordan attending Bingham High School and spent my youth playing soccer. I graduated from the best college around, the University of Utah (go Utes!), with my Bachelor of Science in Nursing. My nursing career started in the Neurology unit at the U, caring for those with brain tumors, traumatic brain injuries, strokes, and even spinal cord injuries. I then spent a few years working in Oncology at Huntsman Cancer Institute. This job was equally as rewarding as it was heartbreaking. Because of this, I full heartedly believe in preventative medicine, whole body health, and improving each patient’s quality of life.

I graduated with my Master of Science as a Family Nurse Practitioner and started working at Jordan Meadows and Hunter Medical and have really fallen in love with Family Practice.

I’m married to my best friend, Sam and I absolutely love the life we get to live together.

Skyler Hancock, FNP

I grew up in Utah where I’ve lived my whole life. Utah offers me a place to enjoy my hobbies, which consist of skiing the Cottonwoods in the winter and exploring the state in the summer. I often venture out of the state in search of a tropical beach when possible. I am also a huge tennis fan and enjoy hitting yellow fuzzy balls.

I attended Salem Hill High School followed by undergraduate studies at Utah Valley University. I started college with a passion for education and helping people. While working on my minor in Spanish, I stumbled upon the nursing program. Science had never really been an interest before; nevertheless, I needed a major, so I dove straight in. I enjoyed the classes immediately and felt like this was something I wanted to pursue.

I got my dream job right out of school as a registered nurse at Utah Valley Emergency Department in Provo. I worked there for six years, where I became a member of the trauma team, charge nurse, and house supervisor. After an incident in Lake Powell, where I got to put 14 staples in my friend’s head after a wakeboarding accident, I decided I wanted to further my education and become a nurse practitioner where I could expand on my skills and become a provider.

I was accepted into Frontier Nursing University and found John Neilson who became my preceptor. After finishing my training, the stars aligned for me to be offered a full-time position here at Jordan Meadows Medical Center. I am currently finishing up my doctorate degree in nursing, which I’m looking forward to so I can return to my Utah-based hobbies.

I have enjoyed caring for the people of Salt Lake County and helping them achieve a healthier way of life. My passion is preventative medicine with an emphasis on an evidence-based practice of medicine aimed towards achieving a lasting, healthier outcome. Seeing patients get better and live healthier lives is what keeps my passion for medicine alive. I also find it a joy to treat pediatric patients, so bring them by as well. I look forward to being a member of your healthcare team.