Shuttered Northside church gets new life as community health center [Video]

CINCINNATI — A cardiologist is on a mission to improve community health in Northside.

She’s doing it in a place you might not expect: a former church building.

North Presbyterian Church opened its doors in the 1850s. When it went up for sale in 2022, Dr. Florence Rothenberg took the opportunity to turn the place of hymns into a place of health.

“People now have to travel to a physician’s office to seek healthcare,” she said. “That’s been a real barrier … for a lot of people.”

Rothenberg said many of the cardiovascular problems she sees in her patients stem from the result of their lifestyle. For example, unhealthy eating, a lack of exercise and a lack of regular interactions with a health care professional.

That was the reasoning behind the creation of “The Heart of Northside.” It turns the former church into a community health center, focused on three …