A new program is starting in four Berrien County communities to provide financial support to new mothers, and it will be available to all pregnant mothers, regardless of income.
Rx Kids was launched in Flint in 2024, and there has reached nearly 5,000 families with over $20 million in direct support. Now coming to Benton Harbor, Benton Township, Buchanan, and Niles, the program will provide moms with $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 per month for the first six months of their child’s life.
A coalition of partners made the announcement Wednesday with Berrien Community Foundation President Lisa Cripps-Downey telling us when mothers get the help they need to seek prenatal care and care for their infants, it benefits everyone.
“If we’re having children who have had the right prenatal care, there’s fewer low birth rate babies, there are fewer preterm babies, that saves money in the healthcare system,” Cripps-Downey said. “That helps us when they get to school, right? So all of these are investments.”
Rx Kids is funded through private donations and a $250 million bipartisan investment made by Michigan lawmakers in the 2025-2026 state budget.
Berrien County Health Officer Guy Miller told us the four communities where Rx Kids is launching represent 80% of Berrien County’s Medicaid births and face the biggest obstacles to care. He noted one benefit of Rx Kids is the money doesn’t have to be used for anything specific.
“What the data has been showing us is if we can provide this unrestricted funding to mothers, expecting mothers and then mothers postpartum, this helps them so much financially get that foothold that they need, whether they’re out of work due to maternity leave or they’ve had a car accident or they’ve been needing to get something fixed on their vehicle, they can now do that,” Miller said. “So financial freedom, I think this is a big part of it and hopefully helps people out just enough to kick them up and keep them out of really the cycle of poverty that we’re trying to keep people out of.”
Miller said many mothers use it for housing.
“One of the statistics was they had a 90% reduction in evictions for people who were on the program,” Miller said. “Well, think about it. If you can’t afford to stay where you are, you get handed a new baby, and then you get kicked out of your house, that creates a pretty significant life situation for you. You can’t maintain a job. You probably don’t have reliable transportation at that point.”
Candious Clabin is an expectant, first-time mother from Benton Harbor who welcomed news of Rx Kids coming to the community.
“As prepared as we can feel, it never really feels like we’re prepared,” Clabin said. “I still feel like it’s a lot of stuff we do need as far as clothes, cribs, diapers.”
Clabin said as a student who works nights at Corewell, help from RX Kids will make it easier for her to resume nursing school.
Tony McGhee is the city manager of Buchanan. He tells us Wednesday’s announcement that RX Kids is coming to his community is great news for everyone.
“This program has shown in the past some great outcomes, both from the family level and also a policy financial level for the communities it’s been in. And you think about it, strong families create strong neighborhoods, and strong neighborhoods create strong, resilient cities and communities. So investing like the community is in our children at this age and our families is going to have great long-term benefits for us.”
Rx Kids is a program led by Michigan State University and administered by GiveDirectly. Local Community Champion, Berrien County Health Department, will support outreach, engagement, and celebration. The program launches on January 12, and pregnant mothers can sign up at RxKids.org.
Wednesday’s announcement was for a three-year rollout.
