Dr. Darienne Hudson, President/CEO, United Way for Southeastern Michigan
Nearly four years ago, my husband and I were blessed to become parents to our amazing baby boy.
Like many expectant mothers, I spent months preparing for his arrival – imagining his smile, organizing the nursery and dreaming about a series of milestones. But as a Black woman carrying a high-risk pregnancy in our state, there was another painful reality in this moment of joy.
Fear.
I knew the statistics long before I would have the chance to hold him in my arms. I knew Black mothers in Michigan are 2.5 times more likely than white mothers to die from pregnancy-related causes. I knew Detroit continues to face some of the worst infant mortality rates in the country.
Unfortunately, no amount of education, professional success or preparation fully shields Black women from those realities.
Even after a successful delivery, the fear and pressure did not disappear. The fourth trimester – the first three months after childbirth – were filled with endless joy and brought mental and physical exhaustion. The nonstop demands of caring for a newborn –sleep deprivation, numerous doctors’ visits, formula, diapers, doula support and other costs were substantially more than we anticipated.
Yet, in the moments that felt hardest for me, I was never alone. Our village was always there to uplift and support. All new mothers deserve a community of care. New mothers and fathers should not have to endure the added stress of parenthood without the necessary resources or support to care for their young infants.
That is why maternal and infant health programs like Rx Kids matter so deeply. Because motherhood should not come with impossible financial choices. Rx Kids provides a $1,500 cash prescription during pregnancy, followed by $500 per month during infancy for all families in participating Rx Kids communities.
And we know direct cash assistance works. Research continues to show that when families receive direct cash assistance, there are big impacts, including healthier moms, babies and stronger communities.
Rx Kids provides trust and dignity – strengthening the village of support around mothers and babies during one of the most vulnerable seasons of life.
United Way for Southeastern Michigan is proud to stand alongside community leaders, healthcare partners, local governments and residents in support of the expansion of the Rx Kids program into Detroit and communities across Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties.
As the Rx Kids Regional Ambassador, United Way for Southeastern Michigan will amplify outreach, support fund development efforts, mobilize resources, and partner closely with community champions across Macomb, Oakland, Washtenaw and Wayne Counties to help connect families to this life-changing program.
Rx Kids represents the kind of bold and collaborative thinking we need more of across our region. It brings together philanthropy, healthcare, local government, nonprofits and community leaders who understand that supporting families early creates stronger communities for everyone.
The program has already seen overwhelming success – enrolling nearly 2,500 mothers and distributing more than $4 million in just a few months as part of Mayor Sheffield’s overall strategy to reduce childhood poverty in Detroit.
For some families, this added support may mean diapers and access to more nutritional food. For others, it could mean reliable transportation to appointments, catching up on rent, keeping the lights on or simply having enough breathing room to focus on bonding with their baby instead of constantly doing mental gymnastics around what bill will have to wait another week.
That breathing room matters more than people realize.
At United Way for Southeastern Michigan, we see the pressures families are under every day through our 211 helpline and our partners throughout the region. Many of these families are doing everything right but still struggling to stay afloat. Some are mothers returning to the workforce before they have physically or emotionally healed simply because they cannot afford not to.
Across Detroit, nearly 69% of households are living below the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) budget threshold – meaning they are working but still unable to consistently afford the basics.
In that context, the arrival of a new baby can be both a blessing and a financial crisis. Rx Kids acknowledges that reality honestly and strengthens our safety net.
It reflects something I believe deeply both as a mother and a lifelong educator: if we truly want healthier children and stronger families, we must invest in communities of care.
We must unapologetically wrap our arms and necessary resources around expectant mothers and babies earlier.
Programs like Rx Kids are necessary. New mothers often smile publicly and wonder privately how they are going to hold everything together. There are countless mothers across our region navigating far too many challenges with far too few resources.
They deserve support. They deserve dignity. They deserve systems that see them before they reach a breaking point.
Detroit is a city defined by our resilience and our grit, but our new mothers should not have to survive on grit alone. Survival is not our benchmark. Thriving families is our goal. Rx Kids gets us one step closer to helping our families thrive with greater stability and hope.
Dr. Darienne Hudson is President and CEO of United Way for Southeastern Michigan. To learn more about RX Kids and see eligibility information, visit the program website at RXKids.org.
