The expansion of Rx Kids into Detroit was unveiled by Mayor Mary Sheffield and the founder of the initiative, Dr. Mona Hanna, the pediatrician who was key in bringing attention to the Flint water crisis. The two shared a stage with several Detroit mothers and their young children at a Monday press event held at the nonprofit Franklin Wright Settlements in the New Center area.
"I'm proud to announce something bold. A program that puts our families and our babies and the future at the very center of how we govern and how we lead," said Sheffield, who officially became the city's mayor on Jan. 1.
Detroit's program is expected to launch within the next 100 days and would be one of the largest of its kind in the nation, officials said. The city has a 34.5% poverty rate, and its infant mortality rate has fluctuated in recent years, according to city data.
An estimated 8,000 babies are born in Detroit each year, city officials said, and all of the expectant mothers, at least 16 weeks pregnant, and families are eligible for the program. The city of Detroit's website has a new link that says a "Rx Kids-Detroit" is launching soon.
The Rx Kids program in Detroit will have an annual $4 million budget, officials said, and the funding will come from a mix of state, city, philanthropic and corporate partners. The city plans to spend $500,000 annually for three years. Some of the other sponsors include The Skillman Foundation, GreenLight Fund Detroit, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Kresge Foundation, General Motors Co. and Huntington Bank.
Officials didn't say how much they expect from the state, but Hanna said the nonprofit is awaiting the final contract from the state government for the fiscal year 2026. About $9 million was raised for the Detroit program "in just a matter of weeks" and about $2.5 million is still needed to fund the program for three years.
Kyeisha Ford, 27, was one of three Detroit mothers who spoke at Monday's press conference. She has had three children in three years, she said, and she lost her job due to health issues stemming from a near miscarriage.
"Even though work stopped, bills still come. Kids still need diapers. A lot of things can go wrong," Ford said. "You suffer from depression. I feel like with the money and funding ... because it's going to get better ... I will stress less."
Rx Kids founder Hanna said the program "is a nation's first." It started in Flint and now operates in more than a dozen and half Michigan cities, including Dearborn and Pontiac.
"It started in Flint exactly two years ago as this bold effort to resist the status quo, saying 'Hey, we are the richest country in the history of the world, should not be OK with our babies growing up without the resources they need to thrive," Hanna said.
One study conducted about the program in Flint found a link to a 27% drop in low birth weights and an 18% decrease in preterm births, according to the program. Meanwhile, a survey of new mothers in Flint found improvements in housing stability and access to food.
Detroit Children Living in Poverty
Detroit's program comes as recent data shows more than half of all children living in the city fell below the poverty line in 2024, threatening nearly a decade of progress in the city's fight against child poverty.
The city's 51% child poverty rate last year was three times the national average, according to data released by the U.S. Census Bureau in September. It was the highest of any city in Michigan, with more than 65,000 people, and higher than any major city in the Midwest.
Sheffield said the program marks the start of her administration's "focus on wraparound services" for families, which will include partnerships with nonprofits such as United Way.
"We will ensure that basic needs programs such as utility and housing assistance, transportation and even free income preparation services are available," she said.
The state Legislature approved $270 million in the latest state budget for Rx Kids. That sparked some controversy because the original earmark request by Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, on Oct. 1 was for $100 million.
House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township, accused the Democrats and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office of being "very creative" in how they sneaked "pork into this budget."
Wayne County Expansion
In November, the Wayne County Commission approved using $7.5 million in funds to help start Rx Kids programs in six municipalities.
Commissioner Terry Marecki, a Livonia Republican, was the sole "no" vote, though other commissioners expressed concerns about the universal eligibility of the program.
"There's needy people out there, and I completely support helping them out to get up on their feet," Marecki said during an October county commission meeting. "I can't wrap my head around this program. I just can't justify spending taxpayer money like that."
Whitmer, meanwhile, praised the Detroit Rx Kids initiative.
“Rx-Kids is the nation’s first-ever program that puts $7,500 directly in the pockets of new moms to help them care for their babies while improving their finances and health, and I’m so proud that it’s expanding today into Detroit," Whitmer said in a written statement.
©2026 The Detroit News. Visit detroitnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
