CAMPBELL, Ohio - State officials will stop in the Valley Friday to announce what they label as transformational healthcare programs funded by dollars from the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan.

Governor Mike DeWine is scheduled to make the announcement at a 10 a.m. media event at the Community Literacy Workforce and Cultural Center in Campbell.

The stop, along with two others in Zanesville and St. Clairsville, will reveal new projects that state officials say are designed to revitalize communities and stimulate transformational change in Ohio’s 32-county Appalachian region, which includes Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana Counties.

The projects will be funded through the Appalachian Community Grant Program, which is administering part of Ohio’s $500 million funding share from the American Rescue Plan Act signed by President Biden in 2021 to help the nation recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ohio Department of Development began accepting applications for the second round of Appalachian Community Grants in November.

Eligible projects include investments in school or community-based services to address children’s physical and behavioral health needs or plans to address substance use disorder.

According to findings from the Appalachian Regional Commission, people living in Ohio’s Appalachian region have several health disparities, including higher mortality rates in rural counties, higher rates of diabetes, and higher rates of suicide.

The rural counties have 27% higher heart disease, 15% higher cancer, 55% higher COPD, and 47% higher injury rates than the large metro counties.

Appalachian Ohio also has 28% higher diabetes-related deaths than the national average, and 8% higher than the rest of Ohio. The suicide rate in Appalachian Ohio is 19% higher than the national average, and 26% higher than the rest of Ohio.