Mary Rutan Health is among 22 rural hospitals across Ohio selected to receive $1,377,479 through the state’s Rural Health Transformation Program, providing a significant investment in advanced medical services and healthcare infrastructure for Logan, Champaign, and Hardin counties and surrounding communities.
The award is part of a $92 million statewide investment announced on October 16 by Governor Mike DeWine and Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), to improve healthcare access, quality, and coordination throughout rural Ohio.
For Mary Rutan Health, the funding will support three important initiatives: bringing MRI capabilities directly into the hospital to serve emergency department and hospitalized patients, expanding robotic-assisted surgical capabilities, and strengthening the organization’s information technology infrastructure.
The largest portion of the direct award will support adding on-site MRI capabilities for patients receiving care in Mary Rutan Hospital’s emergency department and inpatient units.
Currently, patients requiring MRI services must be transported from the hospital to Mary Rutan Health’s Ewing H. Crawfis Imaging Center for their examinations.
Bringing this advanced diagnostic technology directly into the hospital will eliminate the need for off-site transportation, allowing patients to receive these important services without leaving the hospital.
The improvement is expected to enhance patient safety, streamline care coordination, and improve efficiency for clinical teams.
“Bringing MRI capabilities directly into our hospital is a game changer for our patients and clinical teams,” said Chad Ross, president and CEO of Mary Rutan Health. “Eliminating the need to transport emergency and hospitalized patients to another location for MRI services will make a tremendous difference in the patient experience while allowing our physicians and care teams to deliver timely, coordinated care. This is exactly the type of investment that strengthens rural healthcare and allows us to provide exceptional care close to home.”
Mary Rutan Health expects to announce additional details about the MRI project, including implementation plans, over the next few months.
The remaining funding will support additional investments in surgical technology and information technology infrastructure.
Following the recent introduction of robotic-assisted surgery at Mary Rutan Health, the organization plans to further expand its capabilities through the purchase of a purpose-built surgical table designed to support robotic procedures.
This investment will enhance the hospital’s ability to offer advanced minimally invasive surgical options.
Funding will also support steps toward replacing the organization’s network firewall, strengthening cybersecurity protections and ensuring the system has secure, reliable technology systems essential to modern healthcare delivery.
The announcement follows a May 2026 visit to Mary Rutan Health by U.S. Senator Jon Husted and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, who met with hospital leadership to discuss the challenges facing rural health organizations and the importance of the federal Rural Health Transformation Program.
The newly announced funding represents a meaningful step toward addressing those challenges, providing resources to advance healthcare capabilities and strengthen the future of independent rural hospitals.
“Rural health systems are essential to the health and economic vitality of the communities they serve,” Ross said. “We appreciate the opportunity we had earlier this year to share our challenges and opportunities directly with federal leaders, and we are grateful to Governor DeWine, CMS, the Ohio Department of Health and our statewide healthcare partners for recognizing the importance of investing in rural health. These investments will help ensure that Mary Rutan Health can continue meeting the evolving healthcare needs of our communities.”
