FLINT, Mich. – The launch of the historic Rx Kids program in Flint is possible thanks to a landmark public-private partnership that includes community stakeholders, philanthropy, the City of Flint, the State of Michigan, and the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF). Today, Flint welcomes federal officials as they lift up Rx Kids as an innovative model for the nation, an exemplar of what can happen when communities and government work together to support new families during the critical first year of life.
“We are so grateful to our federal HHS partners who have worked with us to chart a new vision of how to best care for our families,” said Dr. Mona Hanna, pediatrician, director of Rx Kids, and Michigan State University College of Human Medicine associate dean of public health. “This life-changing program, and its expansion, would have been impossible without the leadership of so many champions at the local, state, and national level.”
Launched in January 2024, Rx Kids is the first-ever citywide cash prescription program for pregnant moms and birthing individuals. The program provides all pregnant moms in the city of Flint, Michigan, with a no-strings-attached cash prescription of $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 each month throughout a baby’s first year ($6,000 newborn benefit). Over $3 million has been prescribed to over 1,000 families, enrolling almost 100% of City of Flint 2024 newborns.
This past summer, the Rx Kids research surveyed all moms who gave birth at Hurley Medical Center between July 2023 and June 2024. Over 1,000 mothers (51%) completed the survey. Only mothers from the City of Flint who gave birth in 2024 were eligible for Rx Kids, offering multiple comparison groups.
The survey reveals major improvements in the financial stability and mental health and wellbeing of low-income mothers and their families.
Key findings from 2024 mothers (Rx Kids families) as compared to families who gave birth in 2023 and who were not eligible for Rx Kids indicate:
- Improved nutrition security: Rx Kids moms were 15.1% more likely to report they have “enough of the kinds of food we want.”
- Improved housing stability: Rx Kids moms were 19% more likely to say they were paid in full on their rent or mortgage, and not a single surveyed Rx Kids mom had been evicted since childbirth.
- Improved maternal mental health: 20% less likely to have a positive screening for depression and most likely to report mental health as “excellent” and “very good.”
- Improved maternal wellbeing: 22% more likely to say they “feel hopeful.”
There were no improvements in any of these outcomes for HMC families from outside of Flint who do not receive Rx Kids. Based on the data, City of Flint Rx Kids enrolled moms and babies are faring better in 2024 than in previous years or nearby geographies.
“We are thrilled with the early success of Rx Kids and are excited to share early evidence of its positive impacts. We’re seeing that Rx Kids is helping families pay the rent and put food on the table. New moms are reporting that the program improves their mental health and makes them feel loved and valued. It is helping families focus on the thing they care most about – caring for their beautiful babies,” H. Luke Shaefer, Rx Kids co-director, professor of public policy, and director of Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan.
These findings are consistent with other evidence on maternal and infant cash benefits. View the Rx Kids research brief that includes results from the Rx Kids participant survey and preliminary maternal well-being research study at RxKids.org.