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A welcome bit of funding for diabetes prevention
Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz, tapped to find federal funds for Hawaii in the federal vault, has struck pay dirt. The pay: a $9.9 million, five-year grant for the Medicaid Incentives for Prevention of Chronic Diseases Program. The money will pay for supplemental services to Medicaid patients with diabetes and underwrite incentives to the physicians who provide treatment, according to Wednesday’s announcement.
According to the 2010 state Data Book, out of every 1,000 people here, 70 are diabetic. So kudos to the lieutenant governor and his team.
Not the richest, but rich enough to do good
The only Hawaii resident to be included in this year’s Forbes list of America’s 400 richest men is eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, whose $6.2 billion fortune ranks 50th in the country and 145th in the world.
Omidyar, 44, has given away much of his riches for philanthropic causes. He and his wife Pam committed $50 million to the Hawaii Community Foundation and funded the Omidyar K-1 Neighborhood for kindergarten and first grade at his alma mater Punahou School; he also founded Honolulu Civil Beat.