New Ohio Rural Health Funding Expands Dental Care Access

On December 29th, Governor Mike DeWine announced that Ohio will receive over $200 million from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) through the Rural Health Transformation Program—part of a historic federal effort to strengthen healthcare in rural communities across the U.S.

The release notes:

"With this funding, Ohio will invest in more school-based health centers in rural communities, expand the OhioSEE child vision care program to more students in rural school districts, and build upon Ohio's success in reducing infant mortality rates by expanding evidence-based home visiting models to more rural communities across the state."

Expansion of the OhioSee program will include expansion of dental services.

Health Policy Institute of Ohio recently released a policy explainer to break down Ohio’s Rural Health Transformation Program funding—including details on how much Ohio will receive under the new federal initiative and the key areas the state’s proposal targets to strengthen rural care delivery and infrastructure. 

This investment marks a major step in strengthening rural health infrastructure and improving outcomes for rural health across Ohio and there is still important work ahead to ensure its full impact is realized.

Learn More >