North Ridgeville Health Programs: Heart & Sole, Family Connects and More

Justin Rechichar has more than a decade of public health experience, from beginning as a student intern to working as a food inspector and environmental health director. Along the way, he’s earned three master’s degrees: public health, health and human services and business administration.

Rechichar joined Lorain County Public Health (LCPH) in spring of 2026 as health commissioner.

“I’m enjoying learning about all our partnerships and moving parts we have here at the health district,” he says. “A lot of the different things happening specifically with North Ridgeville are exciting — especially the healthy eating and active living [programs].”

Heart & Sole is one such program. The health collaborative was founded over a decade ago by United Way of Greater Lorain County. It includes North Ridgeville businesses and community partners and is facilitated by LCPH.

One of Heart & Sole’s signature programs is its produce pick up, in which local food vendors and farm stands contribute to twice-weekly produce bags in August and September. Residents can reserve anywhere from one bag during the season to a bag at every distribution. The North Ridgeville Branch Library and the Lorain County Metro Parks offer locations for people to pick up the bags.

Heart & Sole also provides indoor walking from October through March every year. LCPH partners with venues including Lorain County Community College, Liberty Elementary and the North Ridgeville Academic Center to offer indoor walking opportunities for residents five days a week. For details on both these programs, go to nrheartandsole.com.

North Ridgeville’s littlest residents and their parents get an extra boost from Family Connects Help Me Grow, part of a state plan called Family Connects Ohio. Rechichar explains: “These are universal, no-cost home visits with families, regardless of income, after they bring a new baby home; it’s to check on how baby is doing, but also see how mom is doing.”

The appointment can be scheduled before or after the baby is born, and a public health nurse visits the home within the first 12 weeks of the baby’s life. It’s available to all North Ridgeville residents, and collaboration between the county and the city is key so that specific needs can be directly addressed.

“Our nurses here on staff work hand-in-hand with community health workers [who are] informed about the resources that are available in the community for pregnant and postpartum families ... getting cribs for kids or a car seat or maybe they qualify for WIC,” Rechichar says. “We’re going to have those comprehensive conversations and help refer them to other programs when we can.”

North Ridgeville residents can look forward to more partnerships with LCPH. Just ask Rechichar — he’s listening.

“One of my priorities is to make myself present to any meeting that anyone invites me to, whether it’s city council meetings or township association meetings, and then really just listen to the community,” he says. “I made it a point to be at [a recent] large farmers market event, available to the community members and finding out what their needs are ... I think people just want to be connected to services, especially services that they can trust.”

Call 440-322-6367 or visit our website at loraincountyhealth.com for more information.