Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, announced $92 million in Rural Health Transformation Program awards on Oct. 22, 2026, according to the Mercer County Outlook. The Ohio Department of Health administers the funding.
The state outlined three uses: $31.4 million to create or expand Clinically Integrated Networks and Rural Health Innovation Hubs; $30.3 million for maternal care; and $30.3 million in one-time awards to 22 rural hospitals. Each of those hospitals is slated to receive $1,377,479 for quality-improvement projects, the report said, with examples including behavioral health units, on-site MRI service and expanded diagnostic capacity.
The announcement was made at Firelands Regional Medical Center in Sandusky, a member of the Ohio High Value Network, one of the funded networks. Jeremy Normington-Slay, the network’s vice chair and Firelands Health president and CEO, said the award reflects what independent rural hospitals can achieve collectively and that nearly 3 million rural Ohioans would benefit from coordinated care, according to the report.
Hospitals listed as award recipients included Mercer County Community Hospital in Coldwater, Blanchard Valley Regional Health Center in Findlay, Fisher-Titus Medical Center in Norwalk, Holzer Medical Center in Gallipolis, Marion General Hospital and Wooster Community Hospital. The report also said DeWine announced in December 2025 that Ohio had received more than $200 million in federal RHTP awards.
A footnote said Ohio was awarded $92 million in both fiscal years 2026 and 2027 for the hospital network/innovation hub initiative; the announced awards include all FY 2026 funds and part of FY 2027 funds, available beginning Oct. 31, 2026.