CINCINNATI

Did you ever wonder which hospital came first in Cincinnati?  I did and here's the scoop.

In 1888, the German Protestant Christian community started a place for the sick to go when they needed special care.  The German word for this place was 'krankenhaus'  (people do get cranky when they are sick).  It was staffed with Methodist Deaconesses (female deacons). 

This Krankenhaus evolved into a full scale general hospital and nurses training school.  In 1902, a large facility was built on Straight Street in Clifton near the University of Cincinnati campus.  It was named Deaconess Hospital in 1917. 

The hospital operated as a standard facility until 2003 (over 100 years) when it became too financially burdensome to continue as a traditional hospital.  The Deaconess Associations began discontinuing services at that time and completed the closure in 2016.  Today, Deaconess Associations offer a range of services to the community including senior care, home health care and support for community based health projects.

The building which was once the Deaconess Hospital on Straight Street was demolished earlier this year to provide space for student housing for UC and additional housing and business parcels for the community at large.

Deaconess Hospital - first in Cincinnati!  Deaconess Nurses Training - first in Cincinnati!