Gov. Mike DeWine announces $10 million for Ohio University for rural health
Ohio University will receive $10 million as part of the Rural Health Transformation Program, the first of several such grants the state expects to award after the feds gave the state hundreds of millions of dollars for the initiative.
According to a release from Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who announced the plan in December 2025, this money is part of the $202 million federal plan by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to “strengthen the rural healthcare workforce.”
“We are excited to see the first of the funds going out to begin the important work of improving the health and well-being of Ohioans in our rural communities,” he said in a release. “We remain grateful to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz for their support of Ohio’s proposal.”
To accomplish this goal, the Ohio and federal governments will connect “employers, schools, and community organizations to recruit, train, and retain health professionals in rural communities.”
OU will use the funding to expand healthcare exploration opportunities for Ohio 8th-grade and high school students through summer camps, career fairs, and apprenticeships, and to introduce college undergraduates and graduate students to careers in the healthcare industry, according to the press release.
“Ohio University is honored to be selected by the Ohio Department of Health to help lead this transformational effort to strengthen rural health care across our state,” Ohio University Vice President of Health Affairs and Senior Strategist for Health Partnerships Ken Johnson said in a release. “This investment recognizes Ohio University’s longstanding commitment to rural communities and also puts that experience to work in collaboration statewide to expand innovative workforce development programs, strengthen partnerships and improve access to quality care for Ohioans who need it most.”
The ODH-led Ohio Rural Health Transformation Program will leverage current state investments to improve healthcare access across the Buckeye State’s rural communities, bolster the rural health workforce, upgrade facilities and technology, and promote methods that would bring reliable, high-quality services closer to Ohioans living in small towns.
“We know how critical access to care is for Ohioans, and that there are shortages of providers in some areas of rural Ohio,” ODH Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said in a release. “Our department has been working on this issue for years, and this additional generous federal funding will be a huge boost to these efforts.”
The state and federal governments will award additional contracts to the organizations in the following months.
People living in rural parts of Ohio experience higher rates of chronic disease, lower access to healthcare, and generally bad health, according to the ODH’s Ohio Chronic Disease Atlas 2025.
