I’m a pediatrician in Michigan who created Rx Kids, one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty programs – here’s what I’ve learned about how medical schools can improve community health

A Michigan State University pediatrician describes Rx Kids, a program launched in 2024 that gives pregnant women $1,500 and families with newborns $500 monthly through the baby's first year, with no income requirements or spending conditions. More than 15,000 families across dozens of Michigan communities have received over $55 million so far, and the program has since expanded to Detroit and into Ohio, aiming to reach nearly 25,000 Michigan babies a year.

The author cites reported results including an 18% drop in preterm births and 27% drop in low birth weight in Flint, the first participating community, plus a claimed 50% drop in neonatal mortality and a 32% drop in infant maltreatment reports. She frames the program, funded through a public-private partnership, as evidence that addressing poverty directly is itself a health intervention that academic medicine has largely left unaddressed.

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