Ohio Awards $55M to Expand Rural Child Health
Federal Rural Health Transformation funds will expand vision, dental and school-based health services for children across Ohio.
Updated on Nov. 15, 2026 in Children’s Health
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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced more than $55 million in federal Rural Health Transformation Program awards for rural Ohio children and families. The Ohio Department of Health will use the funds to expand OhioSEE statewide, launch the OhioDENTAL program and support school-based health centers.
Why it matters
Barriers such as dental care costs, lack of providers and limited transportation keep many rural Ohio families from getting oral health and primary care. Bringing services directly into schools aims to reach children who might otherwise go without care in Ohio's rural counties.
More than $55 million in federal Rural Health Transformation awards is being distributed, including over $17 million for dental initiatives and more than $20 million for 17 new school-based health center sites in 15 counties. Projected outcomes for these programs have not yet been reported.
The players
Mike DeWine
Mike DeWine is the Governor of Ohio, who announced the federal Rural Health Transformation Program awards for rural children and families.
Ohio Department of Health
The Ohio Department of Health is the state agency responsible for public health programs and will administer the OhioSEE, OhioDENTAL and school-based health center investments.
The details
OhioSEE, launched in January as a 15-county pilot, brings vision services into schools using a mobile vision van or a roll-on/roll-off temporary clinic. The OhioDENTAL program will use mobile dental vehicles or temporary clinics to deliver dental care inside participating schools. Lawrence County will receive funding to open one new school-based health center.
Timeline
January: OhioSEE launched as a 15-county pilot program.
2024: The National Survey of Children's Health ranked Ohio's dental visit rates.
November 15, 2026: DeWine announced the Rural Health Transformation Program awards.
Health Landscape
Ohio's allocation under the federal Rural Health Transformation Program directs funding toward school-based care that reaches rural children where they already are. The approach follows a broader policy push to move preventive services out of distant clinics and into schools.
Families in rural Ohio counties may be able to get vision and dental checkups at their child's school without traveling to a distant clinic. Parents should watch for when OhioSEE and OhioDENTAL reach their district, since services are rolling out across the state.
The takeaway
Bringing vision, dental and primary care into schools can remove transportation and cost barriers that keep rural children from routine care. Parents can ask their school district whether OhioSEE or a school-based health center is available to their child.
Further reading
For more on related programs, explore Children's Health coverage across Ohio.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Tribune.
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