Governor DeWine announces more than $55 million to improve healthcare access for children in rural Ohio
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine today announced more than $55 million in federal Rural Health Transformation (RTH) Program awards that will improve healthcare accessibility for children and families in rural Ohio.
Governor DeWine and the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) will invest these funds into three critical areas: OhioSEE statewide expansion, the new OhioDENTAL program, and school-based health centers.
“The Rural Health Transformation Program has been instrumental in helping us to bring critical healthcare services to many more Ohioans,” Governor DeWine said. “I am so pleased to see our successful OhioSEE program expand statewide. These funds will also expand school-based health centers and increase much-needed access to dental services.”
“The Trump Administration’s Rural Health Transformation Program has a simple formula for success: state innovation backed by federal funds equals lasting improvements for rural communities," said Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. "Investing in locally driven solutions is an important step toward achieving that vision for rural Ohio and CMS is excited to partner with states to build stronger, more resilient rural health systems."
Governor DeWine launched OhioSEE in January as a pilot program initially serving 15 counties with the highest need. Since then, OhioSEE has grown to provide services in 252 public school districts. In the pilot program area, 91% of eligible public-school districts are enrolled and are providing vision services to students in kindergarten through third grade.
OhioSEE uses a model that brings vision services directly into participating schools with either a mobile vision van or a roll-on/roll-off temporary clinic. Students can be seen by an optometrist for a comprehensive eye exam, and if needed, they will receive glasses.
Of the total federal RHT Program funding, more than $18 million will be used, in addition to existing state funds, to expand OhioSEE to all 88 counties. In the 73 RHT Program-eligible counties, the program will provide services to students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
According to the 2024 National Survey of Children’s Health, Ohio lags behind other states in the percentage of children who receive preventive dental visits. Barriers to care, such as dental care costs and lack of providers, prevent rural Ohio families from accessing critical oral health services. With this round of federal RHT Program funding, Ohio will invest more than $17 million to support several initiatives to help overcome this problem.
“Oral health is a vital part of one’s overall health,” said ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff. “Untreated tooth decay can impact a child’s eating, sleeping, and other everyday activities, and eventually could lead to tooth loss or other more serious complications. Therefore, creating programs like these that can reach children at an early age will be a real game-changer and lead to a healthier Ohio.”
The new OhioDENTAL program, following the same model as Governor DeWine's OhioSEE program, will bring critical services directly into participating schools. Providers will use either mobile dental vehicles or set up temporary dental clinics inside schools to provide comprehensive dental services and connect patients to brick-and-mortar clinics.
Funding will also support training and education to primary care medical professionals to incorporate oral health assessments, treatments, and dental referrals into their primary care practice. Finally, the RHT Program award will also increase the number of Ohio dentists who accept Medicaid through a new collaborative.
School-Based Health Center Expansion
Governor DeWine has prioritized funding for school-based health centers, which help families overcome barriers to necessary healthcare. Barriers such as a lack of transportation or limited healthcare providers in the area prevent families from getting primary care services they need.
School-based health centers save thousands of hours of missed classroom time by providing primary care services to students right on the school's campus. These centers also provide healthcare services for people living in the community.
More than $20 million will support the opening of 17 new sites in 15 counties and also allow for either expansion or continued operation for another 49 centers in 25 counties.
Rural counties receiving funding for new SBHCs include: Allen, Darke, Greene, Guernsey, Highland, Lawrence, Marion, Morgan, Noble (2), Paulding, Perry, Sandusky, Scioto, Washington (2), and Wood.
Counties in which existing SBHCs will receive funds for expansion include: Adams, Allen (2), Athens, Belmont, Brown, Carroll (3), Champaign (2), Clark, Clinton, Coshocton, Darke, Erie (2), Gallia (2), Harrison, Highland, Jefferson (8), Lawrence, Logan (4), Muskingum (3), Pike (2), Richland, Ross (5), Scioto (2), Tuscarawas, and Washington.