FLINT, MI – Just as Governor Gretchen Whitmer will sign the new Michigan budget Monday afternoon, nine Flint babies endorsed new state funding for Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha’s new initiative with their handprints.
The baby-approved proclamation was displayed during a Monday, July 31, announcement of $16.5 million in state funding that will go to Dr. Mona’s Rx Kids program, the nation’s first prenatal and infant cash allowance program.
Funding from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant serves as the largest investment the program has received. The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation committed $15 million in April.
Related: Cash allowance program for Flint moms in line for $16.5M windfall from state
Under this program, care providers will be able to prescribe cash to every pregnant person and infant in the city of Flint with no strings attached. Mothers will be able to spend that money on whatever they need – utilities, formula, diapers, rent or food.
Moms will receive $1,500 during pregnancy for whatever they need most, then they will continue receiving $500 per month in the baby’s first year.
The program aims to improve health, equity and opportunity by increasing economic stability, according to a news release from the Michigan State University Department of Public Health.
“A child’s zip code should not determine their future,” Hanna-Attisha said, while she held six-month-old Ezekiel, the son of Shila Hurt, a mother who’s helping sponsor the program.
Hurt experienced troubles with housing as she was pregnant with Ezekiel after being diagnosed with preeclampsia. This type of support would have helped her situation greatly, she said.
“This can help mothers with so many things, whether it be housing or utilities or to be able to take the extra time off of work ...,” Hurt said. “I mean just to know that there are no restrictions, age requirements or income requirements – I think that’s wonderful too.”
The first-of-its-kind program will be particularly helpful in Flint, which Census Bureau data ranked as the poorest municipality of its size in 2017.
The funding was announced during a joint news conference with Michigan Senator John Cherry, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Dr. Mona herself outside the MSU College of Human Medicine on Monday morning.
“(Rx Kids) has the potential to be the spark to transform children’s lives across the state and across the nation,” Cherry (D-Flint) said.
Gilchrist said this investment is an example of how the state can ensure better outcomes by putting money in people’s pockets.
“It’s really simple – making sure that people have the resources they need, and we are giving the trust to them to utilize those resources and solve the challenges they face every day,” Gilchrist said.
Rx Kids has raised almost $35 million to date of its $55 million goal, Hanna-Attisha said.
The program will launch in 2024, according to the news release. More information about the program can be found on its website at FlintRxKids.com.
Want more Flint-area news? Bookmark the local Flint news page or sign up for the free “3@3 Flint” daily newsletter.
Read more at The Flint Journal:
Dr. Mona’s prescription for helping Flint kids? $500 infant cash allowance for entire city
Flint schools keeps backpack ban for older students as new academic year approaches
‘This is my city.’ Monte Morris’ new tattoo depicts his path from Flint to Detroit Pistons