Salinas Valley rancher Steve Bennett is the kind of guy who seems to get more done before lunch than most people do in a week, particularly if it involves herding cattle, hauling feed, or backing a trailer down a narrow dirt road without breaking a sweat.
If he isn’t working on the farm, he’s either getting into trouble with his five grandkids, up before the sun for a day of bird hunting, or captaining his pontoon boat at Lake Nacimiento.
Pretty impressive for an 80-something-year-old “retiree.”
But as do-it-all as Bennett is, nobody is immune to the wear and tear of time, especially when it comes to shoulders and knees and backs.
It all started with nagging back pain. The kind that creeps in slowly but eventually makes hauling hay bales feel like a full-contact sport. A dislocated shoulder and broken kneecap later, all within a two-month span, and Bennett was navigating a trifecta of injuries that would sideline even the toughest ranch hand.
The good news
Less than a week after initial consultations for his back and knee, Bennett was in the operating room at Montage Health’s Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. Anderson repaired Bennett’s kneecap, and Bernstein’s minimally invasive approach provided “immediate and complete relief” for Bennett’s back. Then, a shoulder joint replacement from Kasim provided more relief.
“Ever since I dislocated my shoulder, I had to sleep in a recliner,” Bennett recalls. “But after the shoulder replacement, I was out of pain almost immediately. Within two weeks, I was sleeping in a bed again.”
Now, he’s back to life as usual — cattle, pontoon boat, grandkids, and all.
Ensuring the future of local orthopedics
Steve’s story won’t be the last of its kind for Monterey County residents. The level of care you get here is the same as major academic medical centers, and I’m glad our community can continue benefiting from that.
— Samera Kasim, DO, orthopedic surgery, Montage Health
Behind the scenes of Bennett’s smooth recovery was a not-so-simple truth. The clinic that helped get him back on his feet was facing the same pressures that have driven many independent practices across the country to close. Rising costs, shrinking insurance reimbursements, and increasingly complex administrative requirements made it difficult to remain sustainable.
So, in April 2025, Monterey Spine & Joint joined Montage Health’s family of services to become Montage Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. By integrating into a broader healthcare system, the practice gained operational efficiencies, robust infrastructure, and additional support, ensuring that world-class orthopedic and sports medicine care not only remained in the community but preserved everything that made it so effective: the same doctors, staff, services, and commitment to delivering the best care.
“These doctors have been practicing here and caring for our community for a long time," says Mark Carvalho, MD, chief executive officer of Montage Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. "They live here, work here, have families here, and have special connections to their patients. That’s why we worked so hard to preserve the structure — so they could keep doing what they were already doing, just with the support they needed.”
“With Montage Orthopedics and Sports Medicine,” says Kasim, who is also Community Hospital’s chair of orthopedics and Montage Orthopedics and Sports Medicine’s medical director, “Steve’s story won’t be the last of its kind for Monterey County residents. The level of care you get here is the same as major academic medical centers, and I’m glad our community can continue benefiting from that.”
Care that goes the distance, so you don't have to
We look at what people need, what gaps exist, and what we can realistically offer here. Then we find the best people to do it.
— Steven Cabrales, MD, chief medical officer, Montage Health
Montage Health patient and Salinas Valley rancher Steve Bennett
Montage Orthopedics and Sports Medicine is just one piece of a grander ideology at Montage Health: eliminating the need for residents to travel out of the area for specialized care. Montage Health has a history of innovation that brings big-city medicine to Monterey. Here are just a few examples of what’s now available closer to home:
“These are services that, even just five years ago, required a trip out of town,” says Steven Cabrales, MD, chief medical officer of Montage Health. “Now we’re doing them right here in Monterey, because our community shouldn’t have to choose between getting the care they need and staying close to home.”
And every new service Montage Health explores is about more than just what’s possible. It’s about what’s purposeful or the people who live here.
“We only bring in services that are appropriate for this community,” Cabrales says. “We look at what people need, what gaps exist, and what we can realistically offer here. Then we find the best people to do it.”
Elevating healthcare improves lives
Montage Health’s commitment to providing the best care to Monterey County communities is about keeping people like Bennett doing what they love, where they love to do it. Because healthcare should meet you where you are, even if that’s out in the pasture fixing a fence before breakfast.
Explore orthopedic care
Orthopedics 101
Orthopedic care focuses on your body’s musculoskeletal system — the bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles that let you move, lift, stretch, and live life to the fullest.
Who needs orthopedic care?
Orthopedic care can mean:
Smart choices for long-term orthopedic health
