Senator Husted, Dr. Mehmet Oz Visit Mary Rutan Hospital to Discuss Rural Healthcare

BELLEFONTAINE, Ohio – Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) yesterday hosted Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz for a tour and meeting with leadership at Mary Rutan Hospital in Bellefontaine to discuss the importance of rural hospitals and the funding Husted helped secure for Ohio through the Rural Health Transformation Fund.

“If you want to live in a prosperous community, you need access to good health care. Many Ohioans living in rural communities depend on hospitals like Mary Rutan to access quality care close to home. The Rural Health Transformation Fund will help strengthen rural hospitals across our state and ensure families continue to have access to the care they need and deserve, which is why I fought to support the creation of this fund,” said Husted.

The Rural Health Transformation Fund was created by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act passed by Congress and signed into law by the president on July 4, 2025. Husted fought aggressively for the creation of the fund to support Ohio’s network of rural hospitals. 

In December 2025, CMS awarded the state of Ohio just over $202 million for Fiscal Year 2026 as part of the Rural Health Transformation Fund.

Husted also led a letter addressed to Dr. Oz with Ohio’s Congressional Delegation on Dec. 19, 2025, supporting Ohio’s application to the fund. The letter highlighted Ohio’s proposed investments in the health care workforce through partnerships ranging from high schools to medical schools, while also encouraging collaboration between hospitals, community health centers and family physicians.

The CEOs of Ohio’s rural hospitals expressed their gratitude for Husted’s support of the fund in a public letter following the bill’s passage. Husted has continued visiting rural hospitals across the state to learn how to use this fund strategically to deliver better care to Ohioans and support these facilities.