Hawaii awarded $9.9M federal grant for diabetes programs

Hawaii has been awarded a five-year, $9.9 million federal grant that will be used to supplement services to Medicaid patients with diabetes.

The grant from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also will provide incentives to physicians who provide treatment to the diabetes patients. It was one of 15 grants awarded to states to test and evaluate the effectiveness of state programs to provide incentives to Medicaid patients who participate in prevention programs.

The Hawaii grant will fund programs to improve the early detection and self-management of care for diabetes patients, focusing on Native Hawaiians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.