The state Department of Human Services has been awarded a $9.9 million federal grant to help Medicaid patients who have diabetes, Lt. Gov. Brian Schatz announced Wednesday.

The five-year grant from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will fund programs to improve early detection of diabetes and help those with the disease control it. It also will provide incentives to doctors who provide treatment.

"Diabetes is a growing problem in our community and these funds couldn’t have come at a better time," Schatz said.

The state collaborated with the Hawaii Association of Health Plans to put together the grant request. "Diabetes is a major concern for the people of Hawaii, and this is particularly true for our Medicaid residents," said Jennifer Diesman, the association’s president.

According to Hawaii’s largest health insurance company, Hawaii Medical Service Association, an estimated 100,000 people in the state have diabetes, of which at least 25,000 remain undiagnosed. More than 11,000 Medicaid-insured adults have diabetes in Hawaii.

Hawaii was one of 15 states to receive the grants, aimed at providing state programs to provide financial and non-financial incentives to Medicaid members who participate in the program to prevent chronic disease.

The states receiving the grants are required to address at least one of several prevention goals, including tobacco cessation, weight control, lowering cholesterol, lowering blood pressure and preventing or controlling diabetes.

The Hawaii program will focus on those of Native Hawaiian, Asian and Pacific Islander ancestry. Native Hawaiians, Filipinos and Japanese have higher rates of diabetes than Caucasians, according to HMSA.