New program offers $4,500 to expectant mothers in Dearborn
Mayor Abdullah Hammoud announced the program
during his State of the City address on Tuesday
.
Around 1,700 babies are born in Dearborn every year. According to experts, families struggle the most financially during the maternal-infant period.
It's what inspired Dr. Mona Hanna to start the Rx Kids program.
"Babies are really expensive. It's estimated as an additional $20,000 just in that first-year life," said Hanna, who is the founder and director of Rx Kids. "Every pregnant mama gets $1,500 in mid-pregnancy, and once a baby's born, it's $500 a month."
Every mother qualifies regardless of their income or marital status. The program launched in Flint last year and the city is already seeing positive outcomes.
"About 70% of countries in the world do some sort of child cash transfers. It also builds on the tremendous success of the expanded Child Tax Credit, which happened in 2021," Hanna said. "We had no evictions last year in our low-income families, we have better food insecurity. We have improved maternal mental health."
Rx Kids is funded through a public-private partnership and money from the state.
"We have been able to raise over $100 million in the last couple years to launch our Rx Kids, not just in Flint, but now in communities across the state," Hanna said. "We've been able to leverage TANF dollars. So that is about 30 to 40% of the dollars that are needed for this program."
State Senate Democrats have already proposed a statewide expansion, and it has bipartisan support.
"It's something I plan on championing here on the house on my side of the chamber and making sure that we deliver it," State Rep. Alabas Farhat, 3rd District, said. "We're early in the budget process, and so conversations are actively happening as we speak."
The program launches in a city once it's sustainable for at least two years or $16 million.
"We're actually $1 million away from securing this program for at least two years in Dearborn. If anyone in this audience today or watching at home knows someone will to help us bridge this gap, we are ready to partner with you," Hammoud said.
The Rx Kids program expanded to Kalamazoo and five counties in the eastern Upper Peninsula. It's also launching in Pontiac next month and other Southeastern Michigan communities soon.
"
Pending Commission approval, targeted launch areas for Rx Kids will include River Rouge, Inkster, Highland Park, Melvindale, and other high-need Wayne County communities, based on economic challenges and health disparities," said Kennyle Johnson, interim director of the Wayne County Department of Health, Human and Veterans Services.
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