Biography
Ashley Alvord, F.N.P.-B.C., M.S.N., specializes in internal medicine. She sees patients age 18 and older at MidMichigan Health Park – West Branch.
Philosophy of Care
“From a young age, I have had the desire to help people,” Ashley said. “I find giving my time to people, in their time of need, to be very rewarding. As a young adult, after years of volunteering in nursing homes, I knew the medical field was my calling.”
Ashley’s personal experiences as a provider and a patient have influenced her career goals.
“After many years in emergency medicine I began to see the lack of follow through with patient education,” said Ashley. “People would have multiple visits related to the same issue because they did not have enough information to help guide them to recovery. I turned to internal medicine and family practice to do my part in filling this gap and making the patient the priority.”
“My philosophy is to make health management understandable so that my patients feel confident and empowered in their knowledge of the disease process and can better manage their conditions. I am determined to make the healthcare system more approachable.”
“I work alongside the patient to help them reach their health goals and live their life to the fullest. Everyone has different priorities in life. Maybe it’s your children, grandchildren, your pet, your job, going fishing or hunting. I strive to make the connection between those priorities and managing your health. We can never truly enjoy what we are doing if we don’t feel well while doing it.”
“I want to create a supportive relationship with my patients. I’m not here to force you to live a certain way or pressure you to take this medication that will fix your blood pressure. I’ll help you identify what brings you the most joy and correlate that with healthy obtainable goals. I will stand by your side as a coach, a teammate and a cheerleader. I will build you up and give you all the resources you need to succeed.”
“I know the road is not always straight, paved, or easy to travel. I myself have had health issues that have caused me to learn the importance of knowing your own health. I have experienced telling my provider that something is ‘not right’ due to the way I was feeling, and then feeling dismissed. As a result, I learned to fight for my health. Since this incident, I am ambitious to support the health of my patients. As a provider, I will listen to my patients and appreciate the feelings they are describing to me, while holding them at face value. I want to be an advocate for them, stand up for them in their time of need, and help them find what is needed to improve their quality of life.”
Ashley puts these values into practice in her own life by making time for the people and activities she loves.
“I enjoy being outdoors, in all seasons,” she said “I love walking in the woods, hiking, kayaking, tennis, snowboarding, sledding. Family is a big priority for me and I enjoy spending as much time as I can doing things together.”
