BUSINESS BRIEFS
Grant targets Moloka'i workers
Advertiser Staff
The state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations is getting a $389,425 National Emergency Grant to assist the 56 workers who lost their jobs with the closing of Molokai Ranch.
The money will be used to provide a variety of services, including skills assessment, counseling, career planning, employment development, occupational skills and on-the-job training, entrepreneurial training, job-readiness training and adult education. Former workers also will get help finding jobs outside of Moloka'i and be provided with relocation assistance and related support services, including childcare, transportation, and job-related certifications.
Molokai Ranch announced in March that it was shutting down its business May 23. The closure of the affiliate of Hong Kong-based GuocoLeisure Ltd. meant the demise of the 22-room Molokai Lodge, 40-unit Kaupoa Beach Village, the Kaluakoi Golf Course and other recreational activities.
Darwin Ching, state labor director, said the federal grant will help the workers who lost their jobs.
"This ... grant will help the state meet its obligation to these workers to ensure that they are given every possible opportunity to find meaningful employment and have the ability to provide for themselves and their families during this unfortunate period," Ching said.
PERSONAL INCOME INCREASES 5.3%
Hawai'i personal income rose faster than the national average during the first quarter, according to figures from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.
The agency reported personal income for the state rose to $52,035 during the January-March period, a 5.3 percent increase from the same period a year earlier. At the same time, personal income rose 1.1 percent nationally.
Personal income consists of several income sources including wages, salary, interest earned from bank accounts, dividends, employer pension contributions and rent.
HOSPITAL'S RECORD SYSTEM UPGRADED
Kapi'olani Medical Center at Pali Momi said it has completed the installation of an integrated electronic medical record system that allows physicians to access critical patient information from almost anywhere in the world, while improving communications between physicians and other staff members.
The hospital said the goal of the project is to create greater clinical accuracy, efficiency and convenience for patients and staff. The project is a step toward the connecting of all hospitals operated by Hawaii Pacific Health, the not-for-profit healthcare network that operates the 116-bed Pali Momi facility.
Hawaii Pacific Health said future steps include allowing patients to have more access to their medical information and to give them the ability to collaborate with their physicians electronically.
HONOLULU TOPS FOR FRESH PRODUCE
Honolulu leads the nation when it comes to consuming fresh produce, according to a ranking by a business intelligence company that helps retailers with identifying market opportunities.
ASTEROP Inc. said there are a number of metropolitan areas where consumers are bucking the trend of buying lower-priced canned items during challenging economic times. Instead of forgoing fruits and vegetables, there are markets where shoppers are still buying lots of fruits and vegetables.
It identified Honolulu as the top market for fresh produce, followed by four California areas around San Francisco Bay and Los Angeles.
