Hawaii ranks ninth in per-person federal health funds

A new study has found Hawaii ranks ninth among the 50 states in the amount of federal funding received from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study, released March 1 by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, says Hawaii received $34.6 million, or $26.78 per person, in fiscal 2009 to support state disease and injury prevention programs.

It says federal funding that goes to states for public health varies significantly from state to state, from a low of $13.33 per person in Virginia to a high of $58.65 in Alaska. According to the report, overall federal spending for public health has been virtually flat for nearly five years, at about $19.23 per person, and has not been increased to keep pace with inflation.