New Rx Kids Program Funded by $16.5M in State Budget.
Rx Kids, the nation’s first community-wide prenatal and infant cash allowance program, receives approval of $16.5M from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant in the FY2024 Michigan budget to propel a healthy start for all Flint babies during the critical first year of life.
With Governor Whitmer signing the “Made it in Michigan” budget later in the day, Senator John Cherry and Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist were joined by Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha to celebrate the inclusion of Rx Kids funding in the state budget. Flint babies “endorsed” Rx Kids with their handprint signatures.
“Addressing poverty is one of the most direct ways to advance health access, improve nutrition, and remove obstacles facing young families,” said Aron Sousa, MD, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine Dean. “We are proud of Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha’s vision for this transformative effort and thank the Michigan Legislature for improving economic stability for the youngest families in the city of Flint.”
“I am so grateful for Senator Cherry’s steadfast leadership and the entire Michigan Legislature for recognizing that we can boldly reimagine how we care for our youngest Michiganders,” said Hanna-Attisha, Associate Dean for Public Health and C. S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health at the MSU College of Human Medicine. “As Flint often does, we can’t wait to spark this innovation in our town and share this model of equity and opportunity with communities across the state and nation so that all children have the resources they need to thrive.”
Through the Rx Kids program, care providers will “prescribe” cash to every pregnant person and infant in the city of Flint – with no strings or income requirements attached, empowering all families to make economic decisions that best fit their immediate needs. Every mom will receive $1,500 during pregnancy for food, prenatal care, rent, or whatever they need most. After giving birth, moms will receive $500/month for their baby’s first year to cover formula, diapers, childcare, and everything else.
Rx Kids aims to improve health, equity and opportunity by increasing economic stability, housing and food security, health care utilization, and many other outcomes such as hope, joy, and dignity to improve infant and maternal health and well-being and life-long outcomes. Robust research will evaluate the impact of Rx Kids on participant health and community-wide outcomes.
Support from the Michigan Legislature ensures that the Rx Kids program launches in Flint, Michigan, and charts a path for rapid state and national replication.
- Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, in partnership with the community, leads the program, including the research to evaluate outcomes and inform state and national policy around maternal-infant health, early childhood investments, economic and racial justice, and health equity.
- Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan co-directs Rx Kids and provides insight to inform major structural policy changes impacting low-income families.
- GiveDirectly will administer and manage the multi-stakeholder cash program and dispurse the direct cash transfers.
- Greater Flint Health Coalition serves as a critical community partner, supporting outreach and increasing awareness of and participation in the program.
“I strongly believe in investing in our future, and that starts with our kids,” said Senator John Cherry. “We must invest in our children from the very beginning of their lives. Unfortunately, one in every two kids in Flint is born into poverty. By offering monthly support for infants, we can alleviate financial burdens on families, promote early childhood development, and ensure better access to quality health care and education.”
The project is estimated to cost $55 million for five birth years of mothers and babies. In April, the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation committed a $15 million challenge grant to catalyze support. Generous support has come from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, Community Foundation of Greater Flint, Hurley Foundation, Ruth Mott Foundation, and the Jamie and Denise Jacob Family Foundation. With over $34 million raised to date, the program is guaranteed to launch in 2024.