Ohio Invests More Than $55 Million to Improve Healthcare Access for Children in Rural Areas
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced on November 2 in Columbus that more than $55 million in federal Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program awards will improve healthcare accessibility for children and families in rural Ohio. DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) will invest the funds in three areas: the statewide expansion of OhioSEE, the new OhioDENTAL program, and school-based health centers.
DeWine launched OhioSEE in January as a pilot initially serving 15 counties with the highest need; it has since grown to 252 public school districts, with 91 percent of eligible districts in the pilot area enrolled and providing vision services to students in kindergarten through third grade. OhioSEE brings vision services into schools with a mobile vision van or a temporary clinic, where students can see an optometrist for a comprehensive eye exam and receive glasses if needed. More than $18 million of the federal funding, in addition to existing state funds, will expand OhioSEE to all 88 counties; in the 73 RHT-eligible counties, services will reach students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
On oral health, Ohio will invest more than $17 million. The new OhioDENTAL program will follow the OhioSEE model, bringing comprehensive dental services into schools with mobile dental vehicles or temporary in-school clinics, and the funding will also train primary care professionals to incorporate oral health into their practice and increase the number of Ohio dentists accepting Medicaid through a new collaborative. ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said untreated tooth decay can affect a child's eating and sleeping and eventually lead to more serious complications.
More than $20 million will support 17 new school-based health center sites in 15 counties and the expansion or continued operation of another 49 centers in 25 counties. The centers provide primary care on school campuses, helping rural families overcome transportation and provider shortages, and also serve community residents.
"The Rural Health Transformation Program has been instrumental in helping us to bring critical healthcare services to many more Ohioans," DeWine said. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said the program pairs state innovation with federal funds. Ohio received more than $200 million in RHT Program awards in December 2025 and had previously announced three rounds of funding.
(Source: Office of the Governor of Ohio)
Source: Office of the Governor of Ohio
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：俄亥俄州州长 Mike DeWine 官方肖像。Vivien McClain Photography 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Official portrait of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. Photo by Vivien McClain Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
