Ohio

Ohio received approximately $202.0 million in Year 1 funding under the federal $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program. As with every state, the award is disbursed by CMS annually across five years, with each year's payment tied to performance; Ohio's solicitations are 100% federally funded by CMS/HHS.

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) administers the program. Program inquiries go to RuralHealthTransformation@odh.ohio.gov; procurement questions for its solicitations route separately to procurement@odh.ohio.gov.

Ohio's plan centers on building durable rural health infrastructure — Rural Ohio Clinically Integrated Networks and Rural Health Innovation Hubs that rural hospitals commit to joining — alongside a statewide workforce pipeline, school-based health centers, chronic-disease prevention, and hospital financial sustainability. Tracked priorities include workforce housing, pharmacy, and behavioral health.

Ohio RHTP hub →

Named Ohio allocations so far: a $10M rural workforce pipeline (DOH59715, awarded in full to Ohio University to lead Health Workforce Ohio); a Clinically Integrated Networks and Rural Health Innovation Hubs RFP (DOH59718) with an estimated budget not to exceed $61.7M and at least $30.3M per year reserved for rural maternal care; plus a Chronic Disease RFP, a School-Based Health Center solicitation, and one-time Rural Hospital Peer Group funding. Tracked tags are workforce housing, pharmacy, and behavioral health. The full breakdown is in Ohio's budget narrative.

Ohio runs an active procurement machine through its ODH solicitation-invitations page. Activity to date: DOH59715 (rural workforce pipeline, $10M, awarded to Ohio University July 10); DOH59718 (Rural Ohio Clinically Integrated Networks and Rural Health Innovation Hubs, up to $61.7M, multiple awards, closes September 1, 2026); DOH59808 (Healthier Ohio — Preventing and Addressing Chronic Disease, Track One, opened April 13, closed June 16); a School-Based Health Center competitive solicitation; and a one-time Rural Hospital Peer Group funding opportunity. The dispatch list below carries the running record.

The live deadline to watch is DOH59718 (Clinically Integrated Networks and Innovation Hubs): a bidders' conference was held July 20 and proposals close September 1, 2026. Rural hospitals receiving Peer Group funding must commit to joining or forming a hub or clinically integrated network by September 30, 2027. Other early solicitations have closed. Live dates surface first in the dated dispatches below and on the ODH solicitation-invitations page.

The Rural Health Transformation Program was created by Section 71401 of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (2025) and is administered federally by CMS. Ohio administers its award through ODH under its CMS-approved application and budget; no separate enabling state statute is named in the record.

Eligibility runs on two tracks. Direct-to-state contracts go out as ODH solicitations, where firms bid as prime contractors — note these are posted on ODH's own solicitation page rather than in OhioBuys, and inquiries route to procurement@odh.ohio.gov. Subgrants and subawards flow to rural providers — hospitals, Rural Health Clinics, FQHCs, EMS agencies, schools and community organizations — where technology vendors and consultants most often engage as subcontractors or implementation partners. Watch the downstream funnels: Ohio's $10M workforce award to Ohio University is now a subaward pipeline inviting employers, training institutions, and community partners to find funding at healthworkforceohio.org.

Join the RHT project listserv and track the ODH solicitation page for open opportunities.

Ohio RHTP solicitations → Join the RHT listserv →