Just up the road from a short bridge that spans the Little Miami River, there’s a tall gabled house that’s home to a new way to practice primary care. Walking up the steps of Bridge Street Health, it’s easy to think you’re stopping by a neighbor’s house or maybe a family get-together. Chairs on the front porch create a comfortable space for conversation. Then as you walk inside, the warm and inviting lobby is filled with natural light — perfect for the plants and fresh flowers you’ll find there. You might even be offered a latte before you sit down with Michael Hendrixson, D.O., or Melanie Jones, Pharm.D. It’s certainly not the harsh, fluorescent-lit and lightning-fast 15-minute visits that we’ve come to expect from traditional healthcare providers.
It’s primary care, reimagined — where the art of listening and the science of medicine come together to provide care that’s focused on prevention, longevity, and optimal wellness.
Opening in October 2025, Bridge Street Health was founded to bridge the gap between conventional primary care and functional medicine. Firmly grounded in science-based medicine, the practice provides deeply personalized care that seeks to uncover and address the root causes behind disease.
“When I met with Dr. Hendrixson, we spent over an hour discussing the different things going on with my health,” says patient Eric. “It was the first visit I’d had with a doctor where I didn’t feel rushed.”
For Dr. Hendrixson and Melanie, primary care means looking at the whole person, not just the symptoms. Their comprehensive approach has led to some patients experiencing dramatic turnarounds and achieving new levels of vitality.
Carrie, another Bridge Street Health patient, can also attest to these positive changes firsthand.
“I’ve never had a doctor take that much time with me,” she explains. “I also really appreciated the opportunity to work with Melanie, to talk through my nutritional needs and the supplements that could support the work Dr. Hendrixson is doing.”
With Bridge Street Health, Carrie says she’s lost 11 pounds, her bloodwork has improved, she sleeps better, and she has more energy.
“I just feel healthier, overall,” Carrie happily reports.
For patients like Eric and Carrie, seeking the kind of personalized care that takes the time to listen to health issues and goals has been a journey. Likewise, establishing a practice that connects modern medicine with compassionate, holistic care has been a journey for both Dr. Hendrixson and Melanie.
“Fore”-shadowing a career in medicine
Growing up, Hendrixson had always been fascinated by medicine. However, it wasn’t until he was the assistant golf pro at a country club in Lexington that he seriously thought about pursuing it.
“I knew a number of physicians who were members there,” Dr. Hendrixson recalls. “I just kind of connected, and I thought ‘maybe I can be one of them.’”
A few years later, he graduated from the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University. Training for doctors of osteopathy takes a more holistic and preventive approach to medicine, looking at the whole person, including mind, body, and emotions.
For most of his career, Dr. Hendrixson worked within TriHealth Cincinnati, until about a dozen years ago when he decided to take a swing at golf again and embarked on a journey to qualify for the Champions Tour. After a year, Hendrixson realized he wasn’t done practicing medicine, and went back to work at UC Health’s West Chester campus before joining Melanie at Bridge Street Health.
A case of divine intervention
Meanwhile, Melanie was traveling down her own health career path. With a degree in biology and Spanish and a doctorate in pharmacy from the University of Cincinnati, she spent many years working in the health industry. There, she developed innovative programs that helped Medicare patients manage their health with fewer or lower-cost medications.
While she saw success, she felt it was marginal. Meanwhile, her passion and belief that food is medicine was growing, especially after her father developed a chronic disease.
“It was leading him to lots of specialists, lots of healthcare providers, but he just continued to get worse, until he couldn’t leave the house anymore,” Melanie recalls.
To help her father, Melanie became certified in functional medicine, which addresses the root causes of disease by taking a person’s entire “ecosystem” into consideration, including genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Functional medicine has four pillars: optimizing nutrition, exercise, sleep, and managing stress.
In October 2023, Melanie took the leap and started her own functional medicine practice. While she helped many patients transform their health, she wanted to provide more comprehensive care by partnering with like-minded healthcare providers.
With this goal in mind, together with her husband and business partner, Bruce, they bought the friendly-looking house on Bridge Street. While searching for the right partners, Melanie and Bruce found themselves at their church’s prayer team with Dr. Hendrixson’s wife, Rebecca. While talking together about health and wellness, Rebecca shared that she was married to a physician who was passionate about these same things. Several deep conversations later, Bridge Street Health was born.
Health — the journey for a lifetime
Our healthcare journey is not a straight line. It can have twists and turns, and sometimes surprises. Similarly, Dr. Hendrixson and Melanie have followed their own unique paths that led them to establishing Bridge Street Health.
“It’s all the things that you would expect from primary care, but taking that very holistic approach,” explains Melanie.
“We think this is the way medicine should be practiced,” adds Dr. Hendrixson, which is why they offer a free, no-obligation consultation for patients interested in learning more.
At Bridge Street Health, empowering each patient to achieve better health is more than a prescription or 15-minute visit — it’s a deeply personal journey of a lifetime, and Dr. Hendrixson and Melanie are there to help patients achieve long-term health and vitality at every step.
BridgeStreetHealth.com | 384 Bridge St, Loveland | 513.790.2923
Immunity-boosting Soup
INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp. olive oil
¾ cup carrots, chopped
¾ cup onion, chopped
¾ cup celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth or bone broth
3" fresh ginger root, peeled
3" fresh turmeric root, peeled
⅔ cup quick pearled barley
10-12 oz of boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, and celery and sauté until softened, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add ½ cup of the broth. Using a box grater or microplane, grate ginger and turmeric roots into vegetable mix. Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes, then add remaining broth. Bring to a boil.
When boiling, stir in barley, then add the chicken, ensuring all chicken is fully submerged in broth. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (165°F). Remove chicken and allow to cool slightly on a cutting board, then shred or tear into bite-size pieces. Return chicken to pot, season with salt and pepper to taste.
It’s all in the ingredients
“This soup is rich in phytonutrients, fiber and protein,” shares Melanie, explaining the particular benefits of each ingredient.
“Onions and garlic are antioxidants, and they’re anti-inflammatory. Onions have quercetin, a chemical important in immune response. And when garlic is chopped or crushed, it releases allicin, a compound with antimicrobial and immune boosting properties. Onions and garlic also have vitamin C, magnesium, and zinc, which the immune system needs to function optimally.”
“Ginger and turmeric boost the body’s immune response by neutralizing free radicals, reducing inflammation and supporting digestion. And barley is a great source of soluble fiber that stimulates certain types of immune cells known to fight infections.”
“It’s a great example of food as medicine!” shares Melanie.