Olde Richmond residents (19125) get virtual-first primary care from Fishtown Medicine. Care happens by text, video, and home visit so you can stay on your block.
Clinical care for Olde Richmond residents
Whether you're in Olde Richmond or nearby, these are the areas we help with most:
- Longevity & Medicine 3.0 - healthspan optimization and advanced diagnostics
- Metabolic health & weight - insulin resistance, blood sugar, and GLP-1 medications
- Hormone optimization - testosterone, thyroid, perimenopause and menopause
- Cardiovascular risk - apoB, Lp(a), and early prevention
- Performance & recovery - VO2 max, muscle, and sleep
- Our supplement guide - professional-grade picks from Dr. Ash
Tell Dr. Ash what's going on to talk through your health goals as an Olde Richmond patient.
Related at Fishtown Medicine
- Fishtown - our home neighborhood
- East Kensington - directly adjacent, walkable
- Port Richmond - the working-river neighborhood north of Fishtown
- Northern Liberties - the close-in neighborhood between us and Center City
Fishtown Medicine | Neighborhoods
Olde Richmond is the hidden gem of the River Wards. It is where you go for Stock's Bakery pound cake and a quiet stroll. The blocks off Memphis are some of the most peaceful in Philly. Residents here value loyalty and continuity. You want a doctor who is going to be around for the long haul, the same face you see year after year.
Fishtown Medicine is run by Ashvin Vijayakumar MD ("Dr. Ash"), a board-certified internal medicine physician you can text directly. Most visits happen by video. When you need an in-person exam, we come to your rowhome.
What anchors your week in Olde Richmond?
Olde Richmond runs slower than Fishtown next door, and that slower pace is the appeal. Our 19125-east members tend to live on quieter blocks where the same families have kept the same stoops for 2 or 3 generations.
The Memphis Street block rhythm. Stock's Bakery on Sunday for the pound cake, the corner store for the basics, Cohocksink Park for the kids, and the parish-life cadence that some of our older members have kept for 40 years. We do the slow-burn primary care work that fits this rhythm, where the relationship matters more than the speed.
The Aramingo corridor. This is the practical side of the neighborhood, the stretch with Target, Lowes, the supermarkets, and the diners. Most of our Olde Richmond members do their weekly errands on Aramingo, and we hear the same question often: how do I keep my parents healthy on this block as they age? Multi-generational care planning comes up here far more than in the rest of the River Wards.
The Fishtown-priced-out younger crowd. A growing share of our Olde Richmond members are first-time homeowners who couldn't afford Fishtown proper. They're 5 minutes from Frankford Ave nightlife but living the quieter rowhome life. Most of them came to us through a Fishtown referral and stayed because the care travels across the neighborhood line easily; the practice is the same regardless of which side of York you live on.
The Olde Richmond pattern is loyalty, continuity, and quiet pride. We don't try to perform Fishtown energy here; we match the block instead.
Where do members go for labs and imaging?
Olde Richmond is well covered:
- Quest Diagnostics in Fishtown and on Aramingo.
- LabCorp locations in NoLibs and Center City.
- Mobile phlebotomy to your rowhome.
For imaging, we send orders to Jefferson, Temple, or independent imaging centers, with cash-pay rates if you are uninsured.
Will I see Dr. Ash, or a rotating cast?
You see Dr. Ash every time, and that is how the model is built. The big systems on Aramingo and Lehigh rotate residents and PAs through your care, while we keep it to one physician who knows you.
Actionable Steps for Olde Richmond Residents
- Book a free 20-minute warm invitation call. No pressure.
- Send your records. We import labs, imaging, and specialist notes.
- Save Dr. Ash's number. Members text Dr. Ash directly, instead of working through a portal or phone tree.
Deeper Questions for Olde Richmond Residents
I have a chronic condition (hypertension, diabetes, COPD). How does this work in 19125?
We manage most chronic conditions inside the membership: hypertension, type 2 diabetes, COPD (in coordination with pulmonology when needed), GERD, lipids, hypothyroidism, anxiety, depression, and chronic insomnia. The change compared to traditional primary care is more time, more access, and continuity with one physician.
Are there health concerns specific to older Olde Richmond rowhomes?
Yes:
- Lead paint and lead pipes in pre-1978 rowhomes. We can order a blood lead level if you are renovating or planning to conceive.
- Asbestos in older basements and pipe wrap.
- Mold in slow-leaking roofs and damp basements.
- Industrial soil legacy in some Olde Richmond lots near former industrial sites. If you garden, raised beds with imported soil are smart.
What about air quality near I-95 and the El?
Eastern Olde Richmond runs close to I-95, and traffic there raises particulate exposure. If you have asthma, allergies, or an unexplained chronic cough, we screen for it and talk through practical steps to reduce it.
Is Olde Richmond walkable enough for daily movement?
The neighborhood is walkable for groceries and coffee, less so for bigger destinations. The Delaware River Trail and Penn Treaty Park are 10 minutes away by bike. We build movement plans around what you have close by.
I have lived here for decades. Will you respect that history?
Yes. We treat your history as data. Many older Olde Richmond members come on with 20 years of records and 8 to 12 medications. We take the time to review the whole picture and often deprescribe what is no longer serving you.
I am caring for an aging parent in Olde Richmond. Can you help?
We see adults 18 and older, including many in their 70s and 80s. Home visits are excellent for older parents who find traditional offices exhausting. The relief for adult children is significant.
I want longevity care as much as sick care. What do you offer?
The longevity layer:
- ApoB and Lp(a) for cardiovascular risk.
- Insulin sensitivity to catch metabolic dysfunction early.
- Hormones (testosterone, thyroid, cortisol).
- DEXA for body composition and bone density.
- VO2 max guidance.
How does Fishtown Medicine compare to Aria Jefferson primary care?
Aria Jefferson is a fine community resource for hospital and specialty care. Their primary care runs on insurance economics: short visits, large panels, weeks-long scheduling. We are direct primary care: long first visits, same-day text access, no rotating residents.
I do not have a primary care doctor right now. Where do I start?
Start with the warm invitation call. Even if we are not the right fit, we will help you figure out what is. No pressure.
What about TRT or hormone optimization?
Yes. For men, we run advanced hormone panels and address the systems behind low T (sleep, insulin, stress) before reflexively prescribing testosterone. For women, perimenopause and menopause are managed directly with evidence-based hormone therapy when appropriate.
What if my doctor at the IGA recommends you?
We get a lot of word-of-mouth referrals in Olde Richmond. The neighborhood talks. We are happy you are reading.
Meet Your Physician
Ashvin Vijayakumar MD (Dr. Ash) is a board-certified internal medicine physician based in Philadelphia. He built Fishtown Medicine to be the kind of long-haul neighborhood doctor Olde Richmond deserves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common Questions
Ready when you are
Dr. Ash reads every intake himself, and answers questions personally - usually within a few hours.
