Rx Kids Baby Nasir.
When Rx Kids Mom Lakyisha Kirkland’s son, Nasir, was born in the spring, being enrolled in the Rx Kids program had an unexpected benefit. He’s her third child, and she noted that Rx Kids helped improve her mental health during this pregnancy.
“It let me focus on just being a mom,” she said, adding that she was able to take more time off during her pregnancy and the birth of her son than she was able to with previous kids. “Even just having money to pay for childcare for an hour or two to run errands or take your kids to an appointment is a relief.”
Rx Kids mom Lakyisha Kirkland (left) with children Nasir and Serenity standing with State Rep. Cynthia Neeley and Dr. Mona Hanna.
With less stress to contend with during those first few months of bringing Nasir home from the hospital, Kirkland has enjoyed the extra time with Nasir early in his life and her other kids, who are 1- and 7-years-old.
“It’s crazy how fast they change every day,” she said, pointing out how quickly she’s noticed her kids just hearing or reacting to new sounds and her older kids developing their own language skills.
As a Flint native who grew up on the city’s northside and graduated from Flint Northern High School and the University of Michigan-Flint, Kirkland says there is a simple concept that makes Flint a unique place to raise kids.
“I think the best part of Flint is just the closeness of everyone here,” Kirkland said. “Flint has just always been like family.”
Taking care of others has always been part of Kirkland’s city career too. She has spent her career working in community-focused roles with Flint nonprofit organizations.
Rx Kids was able to be there for Kirkland during her pregnancy after she’d spent years supporting the community herself.
“It (Rx Kids) has just helped me feel like my family has some extra support,” Kirkland said. “Kids outgrow clothes so fast, and there are so many extra expenses when kids are young. It’s just a little extra that lets you get things you need without feeling like you have to give up or sacrifice something else you also need.”
Creating a less stressful environment and providing more time for moms to bond with babies is exactly what Rx Kids was intended to do when it launched in January of 2024. Since then, the program has already served more than 900 families in Flint and provided more than $2 million in cash payments to support Flint moms and babies. Dr. Mona Hanna, MD, MPH, director of Rx Kids, Associate Dean for Public Health in the College of Human Medicine and Director of the Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, has been encouraged by how immediate the impact on families has been.
“Flint moms are the backbone of our community, so to hear that Rx Kids is providing relief by letting them ease their way back into work and spend more time with their children is really heartening,” Dr. Mona said. “If we take care of our moms and babies, our community thrives. In just a few months, we’ve heard powerful, moving stories from families throughout Flint about how Rx Kids has helped them cover costs of diapers and other baby supplies, clothes, and other basic living expenses. Easing those burdens now will have immense benefits in both the short and long term for our kids, our families, and our city.”
Rx Kids cash prescriptions have helped mothers who have lost income due to not being able to work as much during high-risk pregnancies, they’ve helped alleviate high costs for diapers, childcare costs when moms return to work after maternity leave, and other needs, they’ve helped families secure stable housing or transportation or assistance with vital household expenses like food or repairs, and even helped some families look toward the future by beginning to save money for childcare or education costs down the road.
“I really hope this type of program can be extended to everyone,” Kirkland said. “Mothers everywhere need support like this.”