Ohio Puts $55 Million Toward Vision, Dental and School Health Care for Rural Kids

Ohio is putting more than $55 million in federal money toward closing health care gaps for children in rural parts of the state. Governor Mike DeWine announced the awards, which come from the federal Rural Health Transformation (RHT) Program. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) will split the money among three areas. They are a statewide expansion of OhioSEE, a new school dental program called OhioDENTAL, and more school-based health centers. “The Rural Health Transformation Program has been instrumental in helping us to bring critical healthcare services to many more Ohioans,” 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.” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz also commented on the awards. “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,” Oz said. “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.” OhioSEE Vision Program Goes Statewide DeWine launched OhioSEE in January as a pilot in the 15 counties with the highest need. The program now serves 252 public school districts. In the pilot area, 91% of eligible public school districts have enrolled. Those districts offer vision care to students in kindergarten through third grade. Vision services come right to the school. A mobile vision van or a temporary roll-on, roll-off clinic sets up on site. Students get a comprehensive eye exam from an optometrist. Those who need glasses receive them. More than $18 million of the new federal money will go to OhioSEE, along with existing state funds. That will expand the program to all 88 Ohio counties, including those in Northeast Ohio. In the 73 counties eligible for RHT funding, services will cover students from kindergarten through 12th grade. New OhioDENTAL Program Targets Gaps in Children’s Dental Care The 2024 National Survey of Children’s Health found that Ohio trails other states in the share of children who get preventive dental visits. Cost and a shortage of providers keep many rural families from getting care. With this round of funding, the state will invest more than $17 million to address the 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.” OhioDENTAL follows the same model as OhioSEE. Providers will bring mobile dental vehicles to participating schools or set up temporary clinics inside the buildings. Students can receive comprehensive dental care and be connected with brick-and-mortar dental offices. The funding also pays to train primary care medical professionals. Those providers will learn to add oral health assessments, treatments and dental referrals to their practices. A new collaborative will also work to increase the number of Ohio dentists who accept Medicaid. 17 New School-Based Health Centers Coming School-based health centers provide primary care to students right on campus. They help families who face barriers such as a lack of transportation or few local providers. According to the state, the centers save thousands of hours of missed class time. They also serve people living in the surrounding community. More than $20 million will open 17 new sites in 15 counties. That money will also expand or continue operations at 49 existing centers in 25 counties. Rural counties getting new centers are Allen, Darke, Greene, Guernsey, Highland, Lawrence, Marion, Morgan, Noble (2), Paulding, Perry, Sandusky, Scioto, Washington (2) and Wood. Existing centers will receive expansion funds in 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 counties. Part of a $200 Million Federal Award Last December, DeWine announced that Ohio had received more than $200 million in RHT Program awards. The state has since announced three earlier rounds of funding: $10 million to improve the rural health workforce $3.15 million to expand pharmacy connectivity $92 million to expand preventive, primary, maternal and behavioral health care in rural areas Ohio’s total award from CMS and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is $202,030,262.02, all of it federally funded. Details on e