Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has announced more than $55 million in federal funding to expand school-based health centers, provide vision services to students statewide and improve access to dental care in rural communities.
The funding, awarded through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, will support three initiatives administered by the Ohio Department of Health: expansion of the OhioSEE vision program, creation of the OhioDENTAL program and development of additional school-based health centers.
The largest allocation, more than $20 million, will support 17 new school-based health centers in 15 counties and the expansion or continued operation of 49 existing centers in 25 counties.
School-based health centers provide primary care services on school campuses, helping students and families overcome barriers such as limited transportation and shortages of nearby medical providers. The facilities can also serve residents of surrounding communities.
Counties receiving funding for new centers include Allen, Darke, Greene, Guernsey, Highland, Lawrence, Marion, Morgan, Noble, Paulding, Perry, Sandusky, Scioto, Washington and Wood. Noble and Washington counties will each receive funding for two new sites.
Existing centers in 25 counties will receive funding for expansion or continued operations, including facilities in Adams, Athens, Belmont, Carroll, Jefferson, Logan, Muskingum, Ross and other rural counties.
Another $18 million-plus will support the statewide expansion of OhioSEE, a school-based vision care initiative launched by DeWine in January.
The program initially targeted 15 counties with the greatest need and has since expanded to 252 public school districts. According to the governor’s office, 91 percent of eligible districts in the original pilot area are participating.
OhioSEE brings optometrists directly to schools through mobile vision vans and temporary clinics, providing comprehensive eye examinations and eyeglasses to students who need them.
The new federal funding, combined with existing state resources, will extend the program to all 88 Ohio counties.
In the 73 counties eligible for Rural Health Transformation funding, OhioSEE will provide services to students in kindergarten through 12th grade, expanding beyond the program’s original focus on kindergarten through third grade.
The state will also invest more than $17 million to establish OhioDENTAL and support other initiatives aimed at improving access to oral health services.
Modeled after OhioSEE, OhioDENTAL will bring mobile dental vehicles and temporary clinics to participating schools, allowing providers to deliver dental care directly to students and connect patients with permanent dental facilities for additional treatment.
The funding will also support training for primary care providers to incorporate oral health assessments, preventive treatments and dental referrals into routine medical care.
Another component will focus on increasing the number of Ohio dentists who accept Medicaid through a new collaborative initiative.
Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said untreated dental problems can affect children’s ability to eat, sleep and participate in everyday activities.
The new investments are part of Ohio’s broader Rural Health Transformation Program, which received more than $200 million in federal funding announced in December 2025.
Previous funding announcements included $10 million for rural health workforce development, $3.15 million to improve pharmacy connectivity and $92 million to expand preventive, primary, maternal and behavioral health care services in rural areas.
Photo by Erik Mclean from Pexels
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