New moms in the Eastern UP will be eligible for cash prescriptions in March

Launching March 3, the “RX Kids” program kicks off in its third Michigan location.

Although she’s 39 weeks pregnant, Ashley Stewart of Sault Ste. Marie doesn’t feel as stressed as she did during her previous pregnancies.

That’s because she will be one of the first moms to participate in Rx Kids—a cash prescription program for pregnant women and babies—as it expands to five counties in the Eastern Upper Peninsula on March 3.

In an effort to help improve health outcomes for moms and babies in Michigan, Rx Kids will give $1,500 in a “cash prescription” to all pregnant women in the region regardless of income level, plus $500 each month for the first six months of their child’s life. The program will be available to babies born in Luce, Mackinac, Alger, Schoolcraft, and Chippewa counties after March 1.

“My husband is going to be able to take a week off of work to help me at home,” said Stewart during a press conference. “If any bills need to be paid, we’re going to be able to do that still without having to worry that he’s not going to be at work.” 

“I have a couple of friends that are pregnant and when I mentioned [the program expansion] to them, they all started crying,” she said. 

Rx Kids has already had an impact on families in Flint and Kalamazoo. New data shows that it’s improved financial stability and health outcomes for moms and babies—and nearly 90% of moms participating in the program say that it’s helped them make ends meet.  

Related: A cash assistance program in Flint is giving new moms some breathing room

The expansion into the Eastern UP is made possible by a public-private partnership supported by bipartisan leaders in the Michigan state legislature, public health experts, the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, and other donors. 

As tribe members, Stewart said it “means a lot” to her and her friends that the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians is a part of the Rx Kids program. 

“We’re very thankful for all of the opportunities that are going to be present because of this program.”Austin Lowes, Chairman of the Sault Tribe, said funding and partnering with Rx Kids is vital to the tribe’s commitment to supporting families.

“When you bring a baby home, that’s a vulnerable period for families,” Lowes said in a press release. 

“So many of our families up here live paycheck to paycheck, and if they miss a couple of paychecks, it’s a hole that’s difficult to climb out of.”

Rx Kids is helping set families up for better health outcomes, Lowes added, by providing them with the extra money they need for infant essentials like cribs and car seats. 

“[Rx Kids] will provide so many benefits to individuals—alleviating so much of that financial anxiety that many families have.”

Related: Pregnant moms in Kalamazoo will get help giving their babies a strong start in 2025—with cash