Jason Howell, MD, with his wife Rebecca van Uitert
Last week, Heber Valley Hospital and Heber Valley Clinic lost a beloved friend, leader, and physician.
Jason Howell, MD, and his wife, Rebecca van Uitert, died in a car accident while traveling in Hawaii for a medical conference on Sunday, January 30.
Dr. Howell, a family practitioner, joined the Heber Valley community in 2018 and quickly connected with both colleagues and patients. His compassionate care and welcoming demeanor endeared him to patients and caregivers. He also took on leadership responsibilities, serving on the hospital’s Medical Executive Committee and he was recently elected as a medical staff president. Dr. Howell was fluent in Spanish and a strong advocate for the Hispanic community. He loved the interactions with his patients and truly got to know them as he partnered to co-create holistic, personal plans to improve health.
Dr. Howell leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness. He was a master at giving people his full attention as well as the time they needed to be heard.
I had the opportunity to work with Jason on the same team in the Heber Valley Clinic for two years. I sat next to him day after day, and over that time he became a close friend. I can unconditionally say that in my 23 years of medical practice, I’ve never met a more kind, caring, and nurturing physician. I used to tease him about his 30-minute phone conversations with his patients and his hour-long consultations that inevitably would put him way behind schedule, but he would just laugh and say, “That’s just my style.”
Indeed, that was his style. And because of that, he was universally loved, even adored by his patients. His patients knew that when they came to him, they’d ALWAYS get a big smile and a listening ear, which was his cornerstone of starting the healing process.
During our after-hours conversations he would often speak adoringly of his wife and kids. We talked of his struggle to manage his time between taking care of a very busy practice and still be a support to his wife who had a busy law practice of her own. In the end, he decided to cut back his clinic hours a bit so he could be at home first thing in the morning to help make sure his kids were up and moving and where they were supposed to be. It was a decision he never regretted, and I so respected him for.
It will take a long time to get over the grief of losing a friend like Jason, but I’ll forever remember the lessons he taught me, both in the practice of medicine and in life outside of it.
Jason made a tremendous and positive impact on our lives and in our community. We will miss him.
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