Reosha Watson with baby Kali during an Rx Kids Mother’s Day event in May 2024.
Among the goals of the Rx Kids program is to provide greater support and flexibility for moms to determine their own needs. For Rx Kids Mom Reosha Watson, that included helping with a career change.
“I’m taking classes now and working toward becoming an ultrasound tech,” said Watson, a Flint native who grew up on the city’s south side. “Before that, I had been working in daycares and working with children.”
Rx Kids baby Kali during a photoshoot in May 2024.
Watson’s Rx Kids baby, Kali, was born in the spring of 2024. Her mom says that Kali is a “good baby” and has been calm since she was born. But she’s still Watson’s fourth child (with older siblings ages 7, 5, and 4), making things busy at home – she says she’s definitely not getting much sleep, although she’s grateful for her kids’ personalities and what they add to her daily life.
“They keep me going every day, all my kids, even when I feel down,” she said. “They just bring a bright light to me, and that helps me a lot every day.”
Beyond providing some income while she takes classes to pursue a new career, Watson said that Rx Kids has also helped with the costs of basic baby needs.
“It helps a lot if I’m low on money or just in a time of need,” Watson said. “If she needs diapers, I can just know that I can go get them without having to ask for help.”
When Rx Kids launched in early 2024, the main intentions were to create less stress for families and more opportunities for moms to bond with and have everything they need to support their babies. Since launching, the program has provided more than 1,000 Flint families with more than $3 million in cash prescriptions.
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, is encouraged by early results of the program.
“What we’re hearing from moms is that Rx Kids has been an incredible, stabilizing help in their lives,” Dr. Mona said. “In less than a year, our moms are experiencing significantly less hunger and housing instability, improved mental health, more time to focus on their babies during the critical first year of their lives, and even the flexibility to explore new education or career paths for themselves. They’re also able to afford necessities, like diapers, without having to sacrifice other household needs. In the short-term, Rx Kids is having an immediate impact on childhood poverty in Flint, and we can’t wait to see what that means for the long-term future of Flint’s children and families.”
The success of the program in Flint has led to expansion plans. Rx Kids recently announced that the program will be implemented in the city of Kalamazoo in 2025, with other communities in Michigan planned after that. Watson says that expansion is a great thing for all moms.
“Rx Kids is very helpful, and I feel like every mother should be able to sign up for a program like this no matter where they live,” Watson said. “A lot of mothers do need help, but they might not speak up and say they do. Whether you are a new mother or a mother who already has kids, this helps you out a lot.”