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Rx Kids

Rx Kids is a cash prescription program for pregnant moms and babies. The program provides all pregnant moms in the program’s community with $1,500 no-strings-attached cash during pregnancy and $500 a month during the baby’s first months of life. Where you live determines eligibility for the full Rx Kids program or the Perinatal Rx Kids program. The goal of the program is to improve infant and maternal health, the economic and mental well-being of participants, and community-wide outcomes. In 2025, Rx Kids will expand to other communities across Michigan.

Led by partners Dr. Mona Hanna, associate dean for public health and C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, and Luke Shaefer, director of Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan and the Hermann and Amalie Kohn professor of social justice and social policy, Rx Kids will help families make ends meet and provide a solid start for their child.

Rx Kids is a collaborative program between Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan, GiveDirectly, and the Greater Flint Health Coalition.

“This will give every new mom in Flint the freedom and flexibility to raise their babies without worrying about how to pay their bills and put food on the table … I do believe that this is... the kind of investment that you can see return on over the course of a lifetime. I believe this particular investment is one that others will seek to emulate when they see the difference it can make.” - Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer"Every encounter I have with one of our Flint kids is a reminder of not just my responsibility, but our collective responsibility to do better for our kids... That’s what Rx Kids is all about." - Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha "This program is historic. No community has ever done this [in the U.S.]. No community has come together and said... we’re going to do this for every mom and baby in the city. What we’re doing here today is going to set the course for generations to come." - Luke Shaefer, director of Poverty Solutions

 

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