Rx Kids Announces Launch in Upper Peninsula
February 14, 2025
Rx Kids, the nation’s first-ever citywide cash prescription program for pregnant women and babies, today announced the program’s launch into communities in the Eastern Upper Peninsula (UP). The UP expansion of Rx Kids is made possible by an innovative public-private partnership that has drawn support from bipartisan leaders in the Michigan state legislature and public health and philanthropic experts. The program will be available to mothers on March 3, 2025 for babies born after March 1, 2025 in Luce, Mackinac, Alger, Schoolcraft, and Chippewa Counties.
“Today’s announcement is a result of the incredible bipartisan support we are seeing for Rx Kids across our state,” said Dr. Mona Hanna, pediatrician, director of Rx Kids, and Michigan State University College of Human Medicine associate dean of public health. “We know that Rx Kids moms are better able to afford basic necessities like groceries and diapers, and their babies have better access to the health care they need at the most critical stage of their development. I’m thrilled that families in the UP will now benefit from the love and wellness that comes with being an Rx Kids community.”
Rx Kids’ launch into the UP comes as new data demonstrates its significant impact on improving financial stability and health outcomes for moms and babies. Rx Kids provides a $1,500 cash prescription to pregnant women and $500 a month for the first 6 months of their child’s life.
“As a dad, I know that every parent deserves the resources and support they need to focus on what matters: bringing their precious babies into the world,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “Rx Kids is an innovative program that is transforming countless lives across Michigan, putting money back in peoples’ pockets, and making a difference. We are excited that Rx Kids is expanding into the Upper Peninsula, and we can’t wait to see how this will help more families ‘make it’ in Michigan.”
“Rx Kids is a program I believe all Michigan residents can get behind,” said State Sen. John Damoose (R-37). “Every bit of science shows that the time right before birth and in the first year of life has an incredible impact on a child that will last a lifetime. I am especially proud that Rx Kids recognizes the need in the rural areas of our state, which often lack the support structures available in more populated regions. This is a win all around for anyone who cares about kids, families, health, and the future of our state.”
According to a recent survey of Rx Kids participants, nearly 90% of moms say that the program has helped them make ends meet. Participation in Rx Kids has also made it easier for moms to get the healthcare that their families need, with 86% of pregnant participants having gone to at least one prenatal care appointment in the past three months, and 96% of those with infants having gone to at least one pediatric visit.
“As Chairman of the Sault Tribe, I’m proud to see the Rx Kids program piloted in five of the counties within our seven-county service area,” said Austin Lowes, Chairman of the Sault Tribe. “By providing families with infants the financial resources for essentials like cribs and car seats, we are setting them up for better health outcomes. The Sault Tribe is committed to supporting our families, and our partnership with RX Kids is a vital step in that effort.”
“The expansion of Rx Kids into the Eastern Upper Peninsula will bring a peace of mind to families within these five counties, by providing them with supplemental funds to cover costs for rent, baby care items, groceries and more,” said Karen Senkus, Health Officer, at the Chippewa County Health Department. “Alleviating some of the financial burden that comes with the birth of a child is invaluable to families; it is so exciting to be part of this movement to support moms and babies!”
The UP represents the third community in which Rx Kids now operates in Michigan, launching shortly after the program’s expansion into Kalamazoo this week.
“Child poverty is not an inevitability, it is a policy choice,” said Dr. Luke Shaefer, Rx Kids co-director, professor of public policy, and director of Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan. “Programs like Rx Kids show us that when families have access to the resources they need, moms and babies thrive. At a time when it is very hard to find common ground on any issue, the continued expansion of Rx Kids proves that investing in smart policies that lift up families is something everyone can get behind.”
The UP expansion of Rx Kids is generously supported by the Bezos Family Foundation, the Michigan Health Endowment Fund, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the Perigee Fund, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, the Superior Health Foundation, the William J. & Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation, as well as many additional partners.
MEDIA CONTACT | Jill Vondrasek
