Gov. DeWine announces plans for Ohio’s rural health transformation $200M award
According to the Ohio Department of Health, Ohioans living in rural parts of the state experienced higher rates of chronic disease, lower access to specialty care and worse health outcomes in 2025.
Residents living in rural communities have more difficulty accessing preventative and early intervention services.
State officials plan on investing in more efforts to expand access to care in rural communities after receiving $200 million from the U.S. Rural Health Transformation Program.
Gov. Mike DeWine thanked the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for their investment in strengthening healthcare across Ohio’s rural communities.
“We are so grateful to be awarded this funding so that more Ohioans can receive expanded access and enhanced quality to necessary health care,” Gov. DeWine said. “Thank you, Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz for your support of Ohio’s proposal. We are committed to working collaboratively with you and your teams to ensure these funds are fully utilized so rural Ohioans can live their healthiest lives.”
Gov. DeWine also expressed gratitude toward Senators Jon Husted and Bernie Moreno for their “continued work to invest in rural health care here in Ohio.”
With the $200 million in funding, Ohio leaders plan on:
- Investing in more school-based health centers in rural communities
- Expanding the OhioSEE child vision care program to more students in rural school districts
- Build upon Ohio’s success in reducing infant mortality rates by expanding home visiting models to more rural communities
- Launching the Rural Healthcare Workforce Pipeline
- Launching the Rural Patient Health Innovation Hubs
The state’s proposal focuses on addressing barriers to healthcare by building on existing state investments to expand access to care, strengthen the rural health workforce and modernize facilities and technology.
To strengthen the workforce, Ohio will build out the Rural Healthcare Workforce Pipeline by creating partnerships between healthcare providers and educational institutions to encourage state providers to recruit local medical and health care students to find long-term employment in rural communities.
Additionally, Ohio will launch Rural Patient Health Innovation Hubs to provide those living in rural areas with access to the best-in-class, integrated care in their communities by partnering with hospitals, community health centers, behavioral health specialists, and others to bring high-quality health care options closer to home.
