Author Archives: Catherine Cluett Pactol

State Expands Keiki Medicaid Coverage 

Thursday, January 9th, 2025

Hawaii Dept. of Human Services News Release 

Hawaii families can have greater peace of mind when it comes to health care for their keiki, thanks to a new approval from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Under this change, children in Hawaii can stay covered by Hawaii’s Medicaid program, QUEST, without interruptions, as follows: children under age 6 will have continuous coverage until their sixth birthday. Children ages 6 to 19 will receive coverage for two years at a time.

This means families won’t have to reapply as often, reducing paperwork and making it easier to focus on what matters most: their children’s health and well-being.…

Film and Creative Content Funding

Thursday, January 9th, 2025

Hawaii Dept. of Business, Economic Development and Tourism News Release

Right now, Molokai creatives have a chance to bid for funding for their film and media projects.

The Hawaii State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) Creative Industries Division (CID) Hawaii released on Dec. 31, 2024, a request for proposals (RFP) toward the development of small, mid-sized and microbudget film and creative media projects. Providing Phase I seed funding from the Hawaii Film and Creative Industries Development Fund, the solicitation is to support local filmmakers, media makers and content creators with the goal of supporting the growth of Hawaii-originated intellectual property (IP) for licensing, distribution and export.…

Agricultural Micro Grant Program

Thursday, January 9th, 2025

MEO News Release

Applications for the popular Agricultural Micro Grant Program 5.0 – which offers up to $25,000 in grants to Maui County small farmers and ranchers – will be available starting Jan. 9, 2025.
The $2 million Maui County-funded program, administered by Maui Economic Opportunity’s Business Development Center, is open to select startup and operating farms on less than 12 acres, and livestock ranches up to 40 acres.
The farms and ranches must possess a county business or state general excise license as of July 1, 2024. Preference will be given to women and Native Hawaiian-run operations.
The grants may be used to directly impact the availability of locally-grown produce, livestock and poultry and other related products.…

Molokai Community Health Center Expands Dental Services 

Thursday, January 2nd, 2025

Molokai Community Health Center News Release 

Molokai Community Health Center (MCHC) is excited to announce a significant expansion of its dental services, aimed at addressing the growing oral health needs of our community. This initiative underscores MCHC’s commitment to delivering accessible dental care for Quest individuals and families across Molokai.

The federal Community Project Funding, which was awarded to MCHC, will be used to renovate the MCHC dental clinic. The expansion includes the addition of three new operatories, doubling patient access to dental services, state-of-the-art dental equipment, and an extended range of services, including advanced restorative care and pediatric dentistry.…