Lt. Gov. James R. "Duke" Aiona Jr. and Department of Human Services Director Lillian Koller announced yesterday that the state is distributing $14.4 million in new federal money to private and public hospitals statewide to help defray the cost of providing care to uninsured and underinsured patients.

The $14.4 million includes $7.5 million for 16 private hospitals and $6.9 million for all public hospitals of the Hawai'i Health Systems Corporation.

Money for the private hospitals ranges from $3 million to The Queen's Medical Center to $109,184 to North Hawai'i Community Hospital and $38,514 to Moloka'i General Hospital.

The state Department of Human Services secured the money from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. This money is not part of the federal stimulus package approved last year by Congress.