Miami-Dade plans to spend the $14.7 million grant it will receive from the federal government in its fight against obesity, plans to spend it on better bike paths, more fruits and vegetables in neighbourhood stores, including more outdoor farmers’ markets.

The grant for fighting obesity is part of Communities Putting Prevention to Work, a $370 million programme the Obama administration announced Friday.

Forty dialysis patients abandoned by the Jackson Health System will be provided with a month’s worth of care by three Miami-Dade hospitals, with experts calling it a prime example of the economics-based life-or-death choices facing the nation.

Unless, changes are made in the current healthcare system, Richard Goldman, a New Mexico nephrologist and spokesman for the American Association of Kidney Patients said, this is what will happen to the desperately ill, and without coverage.

Roberto Rodriguez, 54, the Miami physician involved in the 10-million, HIV infusion services Medicare fraud case, was sentenced to eight years in prison Monday, including being ordered to pay over $9-million in restitution.
 
Indicted in February, along with two other doctors, he pleaded guilty in March to conspiring to commit health care fraud.
 

Federal agents dismantling a Miami-based Medicare fraud ring reveal, a chain of clinics stretching from South Florida to four other states, scheming to defraud Medicare of $100-million, filed bogus claims for obsolete HIV therapy, with two of the suspects posing as clinic owners having fled to Cuba.

In a bid to prevent the loss of tens of billions of dollars in Medicare fraud, federal officials have been expanding their strike forces in key cities nationwide, including Miami, Los Angeles, Detroit and Houston.

Novak Djokovic will aim to reverse a run of four consecutive defeats against Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as the pair meet in the quarter-finals of the Miami Masters.

Third seed and 2007 champion Djokovic controlled Czech Tomas Berdych in an efficient 6-3, 6-2 victory on Tuesday, while Tsonga, seeded 10th, ousted compatriot Gilles Simon 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-2 in their fourth-round meeting.

Cuba was battening down its hatches for the third powerful hurricane
this season as Hurricane Paloma barrelled toward the Caribbean island
Saturday with category 4 winds.

Hurricane Paloma strengthened over the Caribbean and was approaching the Cayman Islands and Cuba with sustained winds of more than 185 kilometres an hour on Friday.