Happy Summer!

I hope this email finds you a little sun-kissed, enjoying time with the people you love, and finding some time to recharge in between. As much as I love summer, it can somehow be both energizing and completely exhausting all at once.

You may be wondering… “Alison, why are you emailing me?”

Well, welcome to the very first Ascent newsletter. I'm calling it... THE ASCENT.

I have dreamed of sending this newsletter for a long time. Rather than overcommitting, I’m simply going to promise that it’ll show up somewhere between every few weeks and every month. I think that’s a commitment I can actually keep.

What I’m learning about myself is that I have a lot to say. Hopefully some of it is even worth hearing.

There are so many conversations I find myself having over and over in appointments, interesting research I want to share, and things that simply don’t fit into a 60-second Instagram video.

So this newsletter is where all of that gets to live.

I’ll use it to share new research, things I’m hearing from patients, updates from the clinic, new services, membership perks, and hopefully a few things that help you better understand your own health.

Feel free to forward this newsletter to family or friends, whether they’re patients or not. If it helps someone, that’s exactly why I’m writing it.

What's New at Ascent:

We’ve launched a brand-new GLP-1 webpage that walks through one of the questions I hear most often: “What’s the difference between brand-name and compounded medications?” "What do I need to do to start one of these medications?"

Not everyone is interested in GLP-1 medications, and that’s okay. But for those who are taking Wegovy, Zepbound, compounded semaglutide, or compounded tirzepatide, or are simply curious, I wanted one place where I could clearly explain the differences and how we approach it safely.

Patient safety and education will always come before selling a medication. This page explains why we offer the options we do, how we evaluate compounded medications, and what we believe patients should know before starting treatment.

Curious? Check it out. If not…keep reading!

Ascent GLP-1 Website

We've just purchased an in-clinic body composition scanner by InBody to allow us to offer in-clinic body composition scans. I probably say this 5,000 times a day: “The scale is terrible at telling us what’s actually going on under the hood.” Whether you're someone who is falling into a "normal BMI" or someone who is above the recommended BMI goals, this is for you because the truth is, you truly cannot judge a book by it's cover. This body composition scanner opens the book up and tells the whole story.

After researching the available options, we chose to partner with InBody, a company whose technology is widely used in healthcare practices, hospitals, universities, and research settings. We were impressed by the quality of their products and feel their technology provides a reliable, evidence-based way to better understand body composition over time.

Unlike a traditional scale, an InBody scan looks beneath the surface by measuring body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass, visceral fat (the fat surrounding your organs), lean body mass, total body water, and muscle balance throughout your body. These measurements give us a much more complete picture of your health than weight alone.

At Ascent Healthcare, we don’t perform an InBody scan just to generate numbers. We use the results to guide conversations about nutrition, exercise, menopause, weight management, cardiovascular health, and healthy aging. Every scan is meant to provide information you can actually use to make informed decisions about your health and help you age stronger, not just weigh less.

InBody Pricing

Ascent Members: One complimentary scan per year, then $35 for additional scans

Established Pay-Per-Visit Patients: $60

Community Members (Non-Patients): $95

InBody 380

One of my long-term goals for Ascent was to have an EKG machine right here in the clinic, and I’m excited to finally cross that one off the list.

Whether you need a pre-operative evaluation, you’re experiencing palpitations, or you’d simply like a baseline EKG, we can now do that without sending you somewhere else.

Botox has arrived! Okay, I know that some of you may think to yourself, "Really Alison, what does Botox have to do with longevity and health and wellness?" And to that I would say, I'm in the business of helping people age strong and happy. Part of that has to do with, in my opinion, helping people feel comfortable in their bodies and loving what they're seeing. If this is not for you, it's okay, we can still be friends, but if it is, then I'm so pumped for you! There will be more details to come on this but for now I just want it on your radar. I will send out the scheduling link when it's open but for now I'd love to hear from those of you who are interested, what appointment times would be best for your busy schedules? ​

What days or times would work best for you to have a toxin facial injection treatment?

9-5 pm any weekday

After 4 pm/evening hours on weekdays

Saturdays/Weekend options

Communication Corner

We want to make it as easy as possible to get in touch with us! Here’s the best way to reach us depending on what you need:

🩺 Elation Passport (Patient Portal)​

For non-urgent medical questions, medication refill requests, test results, paperwork, or anything you’d like documented in your medical record.

💬 Spruce Secure Messaging​

For urgent (but not emergency) concerns after-hours.

📞 Phone

Call or Text (802) 500-6867

Call us for urgent concerns during business hours, scheduling assistance, or if you prefer to speak with someone directly.

📧 Email

info@ascenthealthvt.com

For administrative questions only, such as membership, billing, forms, or general office inquiries. Please don’t email personal medical questions, as email isn’t a secure way to communicate about your health.

As always, if you’re experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department.

Questionably Deep Thoughts from Alison

In all seriousness, I still can’t quite believe I’m sitting here writing this and that maybe…hopefully…people are actually reading it.

There honestly aren’t enough words to tell you how grateful I am that you’ve trusted me with your care. Ascent only exists because you believed in it before it was anything more than an idea, and I’ll never take that for granted.

I cannot express how much I love this job. I truly mean that. I’ve always loved caring for people and learning about science, physiology, and how the human body works, but getting to do it in my own clinic, where I have the time to really know my patients and care for them the way I always envisioned, is an absolute dream come true.

I promise that quality of care will always come before growth. Every new service we add has to answer one simple question:

Will this meaningfully improve our patients’ lives?

If the answer isn’t yes, we won’t offer it.

You deserve a healthcare provider who’s in your corner. We’re your advocate, your accountability partner, and a team that genuinely wants to see you thrive. We care deeply about you, your family, and this community because we know that when you’re healthier, stronger, and happier, that impact reaches far beyond our clinic walls. It ripples into your family, your friendships, your work, and the people around you.

Whether it’s encouraging you to start exercising, helping you navigate menopause, celebrating a health win, or simply listening on a day when life feels heavy, we’re here for all of it.

As Ascent continues to grow, my commitment to you will remain the same: thoughtful, evidence-based, compassionate care that puts people before everything else.

If you ever have ideas for how we can make this practice even better, I’d genuinely love to hear them. Some of our best improvements have come directly from conversations with patients.

Thank you, truly, for believing in Ascent.

Now go take care of your body. It’s carrying you through life, and frankly, it deserves better than surviving on iced coffee and stale crackers.

Better yet, go lift something heavy, eat something green, and get some sleep. We’ll handle the rest.

In the age of AI I need you to know, mostly because I'm an overachiever, that I wrote this newsletter, not AI (sound the applause now please)

Here’s to getting a little stronger, a little healthier, and a little wiser together.