A Prescription for Poverty: MSU Pioneers Nation’s First Baby-First Cash Program  

What if doctors could prescribe away poverty?

At Michigan State University, that bold question led to a breakthrough solution.  

Mona Hanna, a pediatrician and associate dean for public health at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, spent years watching families struggle during pregnancy and infancy—the most financially challenging and developmentally critical period. Traditional support programs offered too little, too late, so she reimagined the approach entirely.  

The result is Rx Kids, the nation’s first community-wide maternal and infant cash prescription program. Instead of navigating complex bureaucracies, families receive unconditional cash support: $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 monthly for their baby’s first six to 12 months. The innovation lies in its simplicity and timing—meeting families exactly when and how they need help most.  

The program’s impact has been transformative. Communities participating in Rx Kids have seen dramatic improvements: healthier birth outcomes, near-elimination of infant evictions, reduced food insecurity, and a 32 percent drop in child maltreatment allegations in Flint compared to control cities. Currently, 30 percent of participants report the funds helped them secure better employment or start businesses.  

For her visionary leadership, Hanna was named to Time’s 100 Most Influential People in Health of 2026—her second TIME100 recognition. Now expanding across Michigan with bipartisan support, Rx Kids is setting the national standard for evidence-based policy innovation.  

Michigan State, with about 52,000 students in East Lansing, has been building Michigan and America since it was founded in 1855. 

This is higher education building opportunity for families.