Wayne County Commission approves program to help moms-to-be, babies
Published on November 06, 2025
Wayne County Commissioners today approved an innovative program aimed at improving health outcomes for expectant mothers and their offspring.
Called RxKids, the program offers one-time cash assistance of $1,500 to moms-to-be who are at least 16 weeks pregnant and an additional $500 per month for the first six months of their child’s life.
RxKids will initially be offered only in River Rouge, Inkster, Highland Park, Hamtramck, Dearborn and Melvindale, six cities where it has been determined that at least 35 percent of children currently live below the federal poverty line.
The program is expected to begin on Monday, Nov. 9, or shortly thereafter, officials said.
New and expectant mothers can apply through their community’s page on the RxKids website, https://rxkids.org/.
“This program has already been in operation in other areas and has been shown to have a positive impact on the health of mothers and their babies,” Wayne County Commission Chair Alisha Bell (D-Detroit) said.
RxKids grew out of the Flint water crisis and has since been expanded to other Michigan cities, including Pontiac, Kalamazoo and Ypsilanti.
The program involves a partnership between the county’s Well Wayne Health Initiative and Michigan State University Public Health Initiative.
Payments to individuals will be administered through the New York City-based nonprofit GiveDirectly, Inc., which will also administer participant sign-ups and verification, as well as follow-up and support.
Wayne County is contributing $7.5 million to its RxKids initiative, with an additional $5 million estimated to come from the state, officials said.
The program will run through December 2028 but could be extended should funding remain available after that date.
It can also be expanded at a future date to include other Wayne County communities with high child poverty rates.