Participating in a news conference Monday about the expansion of Rx Kids to the entire Upper Peninsula are, from left: Dr. Mona Hanna, program founder, pediatrician, health advocate and director of Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative; Mike Snyder, health officer and administrator for Public Health of Delta & Menominee Counties; Megan Murphy, CEO of the Superior Health Foundation; Nick Derusha, director and health officer of LMAS Health Department; Madelina Dilisi, program director at Keweenaw Community Foundation; and Ed McBroom, state senator for Michigan's 38th District. (Screenshot by R. R. Branstrom/Daily Press)

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State University’s Rx Kids assistance program, which provides cash for mothers and babies, became available Monday to families in all 15 Upper Peninsula counties, its largest geographic expansion yet, state officials said.

Families who are expecting — must be at least 16 weeks pregnant — or have a baby born March 1 or later that reside in Baraga, Delta, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Marquette, Menominee and Ontonagon counties can apply at RxKids.org. Once verified, families receive $1,500 prenatally and $500 per month for a baby’s first six months.

Monday’s announcement comes less than a month after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer stated the next major expansion of Rx Kids would extend the program across the rest of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The announcement also comes exactly one year after Rx Kids launched in five counties in the eastern Upper Peninsula: Alger, Chippewa, Luce, Mackinac and Schoolcraft.

“Michigan is leading the nation by giving moms and babies the support they need to thrive,” Whitmer said in a news release. “Rx Kids is an innovative, bipartisan program designed to improve health outcomes and reduce child poverty, the first of its kind in the country. With today’s expansion across the entire Upper Peninsula, Yoopers who are expecting or have a newborn can get up to $4,500 to help lower the cost of welcoming a new family member into their lives. … In Michigan, we believe that every kid deserves a bright future.”

With the recent expansion to the city of Detroit and now across the entire Upper Peninsula, Rx Kids will reach more than 18,000 babies born each year, according to state officials.

The logo for the Rx Kids program, which offers financial assistance in Michigan during pregnancy and the first six months of an infant's life. It expanded Monday to all 15 Upper Peninsula counties.

“As someone who lived in Houghton as a kid, it’s incredibly exciting and meaningful to bring Rx Kids to 10 new counties across the U.P.,” said Mona Hanna, founder and director of Rx Kids and associate dean of public health at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. “These are the places that shaped me, tight‒knit communities filled with resilience, heart and a deep commitment to caring for one another. … It’s an honor to help ensure that every child born in the U.P. has the support they need to thrive, right from the start.”

Originally launched in Flint in 2024, Rx Kids delivers direct support during the prenatal and infancy period, to help families afford essentials such as baby supplies, food, housing, child care and transportation to doctor’s appointments. It also serves 24 cities, townships and counties in lower Michigan.

Early results from Rx Kids communities across Michigan show near-universal enrollment, improved family stability, reduced financial stress and better health for moms and babies while also generating local economic benefits, according to program officials.

Rx Kids is led by Michigan State University and administered by GiveDirectly. Local contacts for the program in the 10 new U.P. counties include Dickinson-Iron District Health Department, Marquette County Health Department, Public Health of Delta and Menominee Counties and Western Upper Peninsula Health Department.

With a year of working with the program, LMAS District Health Department will serve as a regional coordinator for Rx Kids in the U.P.

“As a lifelong U.P. resident and as a teacher and legislator, I see many signs of the negative impact of our declining population,” said state Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township. “As a father of five, I understand how important financial stability is and how a new baby impacts a household. Expanding Rx Kids across the Upper Peninsula will not only support parents and newborns, it will also infuse dollars directly into local communities. Hopefully, it will be a beginning to seeing our population trend reversed.”

The initiative is made possible with funding from the state of Michigan, Copper Shores Community Health Foundation, Keweenaw Community Foundation, Michigan Health Endowment Fund, Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, William J. and Dorothy K. O’Neill Foundation, Perigee Fund and Superior Health Foundation, which will also serve as regional fiduciary for this public-private partnership.

“From the moment we helped launch Rx Kids in the eastern U.P., I have been looking forward to the day when this support could reach all seven counties in our service area,” said Austin Lowes, chair of the Sault Tribe. “We have seen firsthand the powerful impact this program has during pregnancy and infancy, providing financial stability for mothers in our tribe and improving health outcomes.”

As a public-private partnership, Rx Kids is funded through both public investment and philanthropic leadership. In a bipartisan commitment, the state of Michigan invested $250 million to expand the program to additional high-need communities over the next three years.

Although a recent House Appropriations Committee decision to reduce 2024-25 funding limits expansion, Rx Kids continues to progress, collaborating with partners across sectors to ensure mothers and babies receive timely, effective support when it matters most.

For more information, to donate or to apply for the program, go online to RxKids.org.