[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",7320329,"mediaKeyId","3407086-a6736ad4e6f4ad370234751a398d1eaa","parentId",3407086,"title","Physician and researchers describe Rx/ARCS Kids cash‑prescription program and early results","audioSeconds",2246,"startMs",2151000,"endMs",4397000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3407086-a6736ad4e6f4ad370234751a398d1eaa&start=2151&end=4397","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3407086-a6736ad4e6f4ad370234751a398d1eaa/thumbnail_2151000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/7320329/Michigan/Physician-and-researchers-describe-RxARCS-Kids-cashprescription-program-and-early-results","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/7320329-4eabe37e7a5c0fad8baf5b582bea3bf5/orig.mp4?Expires=1770911761&Signature=S6aktJYks299DdN2bxPowjhS8WJ0fGmfUhH2b6hiP43qnKdnQ1NDA~eCLvz3Z5-vblaNxzBWxdrHBciV~vmGg4CPU1o-XNbeMMPSL2nQKxn9OLHiNm5DpE47cyQ1ZT3kpu2avR6qEv41yecq5Gx3I0ya0VZ~UpIIeSn5EO0HA2DQfPbOAm8iVSJybDMka~wnjIsKyIjfncIn3d6VTlgEFpDFTgvHpu1KgJzQ381P8-dy2S5jSZlC4tO8Hbd6Wv7B26Z7sWenhU~nbjZ04PJrGCjdHmaNwrekHZ9HYHz2k2pN5SvEcuEq1IU~UYXqcXRjInoNd~xCXWOZSiVC8nOMSg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Michigan Legislature","date","2025-05-19T18:21:37Z","article","Dr. Mona Hanna, a pediatrician and associate dean for public health at Michigan State University, told the House Families and Veterans Committee that a cash‑prescription program for pregnant mothers and newborns produced measurable benefits in pilot communities and that the model is ready to expand.

Hanna said the program, introduced in Flint in January 2024 and referred to in testimony both as \"Rx Kids\" and \"ARCS Kids,\" provides a $1,500 cash payment during pregnancy and then $500 a month after birth for either six or 12 months depending on local funding. She said the design leverages a provision of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program — nonrecurring short‑term benefits (NRST) — for the initial payments to low‑income families and uses philanthropic and local public funds to extend and make the program universal in participating communities.

\"This program made my family whole again,\" Hanna said, recounting a participant whose recovery and parenting were supported by the cash prescriptions and who regained custody of older children. She said the program is a \"plug and play\" public‑private partnership, administered operationally by GiveDirectly, that requires minimal staff and uses technology for enrollment and payments.

Hanna summarized outcome data from pilot communities: higher prenatal‑care uptake and earlier initiation of care, reduced smoking during pregnancy, improvements in birth weight and gestational age, fewer costly neonatal intensive‑care unit (NICU) admissions, improved maternal mental health and a decline in child‑welfare allegations in the studied areas. She said those reductions translate into cost savings, that a Flint‑area analysis estimated about a 1.57 return on investment in local economic activity, and that state‑level modeling of a subset of outcomes suggested large potential savings (Hanna described a state‑scale estimate but did not present a line‑by‑line fiscal analysis in committee testimony).

Hanna told legislators the program has prescribed cash directly to families (she said $10,000,000 had been prescribed at the time of testimony) and that the initiative had secured large commitments of public and private funding for expansion (she described commitments in the tens of millions of dollars but did not list a current bank balance). She said program overhead did not exceed about 15 percent and that GiveDirectly handles payments to reduce administrative costs.

Representatives asked about eligibility, federal funding risks and program duration. Hanna said the NRST TANF provision permits the first four months of payments to be delivered as short‑term benefits to eligible low‑income families without affecting lifetime TANF limits or work exemptions for that limited window; philanthropy is used to cover universal access in participating communities. On the duration question, she said Flint and Kalamazoo operate prenatal through 12 months of age where local funding makes that possible, while many other communities have funded six months of postnatal payments.

Committee members asked about oversight, duplication with existing programs and whether cash could be used for substances. Hanna said data show decreases in substance use in the pilot sites and that the cash transfers were designed to avoid counting as income that would jeopardize other benefits such as Medicaid, SNAP or WIC. She said philanthropic funds are used when communities allow noncitizen enrollments, while TANF dollars were limited to those eligible for federal benefits.

Hanna said program evaluation and longitudinal research are planned or under way, and that administrative matches to birth certificate data allow high enrollment verification and population‑level measurement in participating communities. She urged continued funding and expansion and noted that the governor’s executive budget included more TANF funding for rollout.

Several representatives complimented the program’s simplicity and early results, asked technical and budgetary questions, and requested follow‑up data on uptake, long‑term outcomes and the program’s fiscal commitments and cash‑on‑hand.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Families and Veterans- 5/20/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Dr. Mona Hanna of Michigan State University told the House Families and Veterans Committee that the Rx/ARCS Kids cash‑prescription program — a public‑private effort using TANF NRST authority and philanthropy — has delivered cash to mothers and babies, improved prenatal care and reduced some costly outcomes in pilot communities.","taxTitle","2025 House Legislature MI, Michigan","taxId",77683,"location","Michigan","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":46,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6535388,"Committee adopts May 13 minutes, excuses absent members by unanimous consent",4128,269000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3407086-a6736ad4e6f4ad370234751a398d1eaa&start=269&end=4397","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3407086-a6736ad4e6f4ad370234751a398d1eaa/thumbnail_269000.jpg","/articles/6535388/Michigan/Committee-adopts-May-13-minutes-excuses-absent-members-by-unanimous-consent","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6535388-867306e75b405241be81707bfdef8574/orig.mp4?Expires=1770911761&Signature=UqQdPaWjlboDMkYTmH5fbH~~UPyumP0idehnOc-0svl73FU9lr0PM1dZ2XSG8X42cDpqbHimXQf66tBiYB2B2QfDonfH-tidCq8-~gMT6WrUgpdamom6JOiFQVy5NPbCttB1s54PY3kmYZJblpbfU8CEkbwrw8o-YtKL~hmcq2OUnwmuc7JEica9fPb7v5g4UdiWCxNHsvJ8DPzizqbPFcWkjnOH7Nw8cd3LjNW3eNA6Epm9FTDSD2KvPqiL0k05w1PtHHMX0eaPZLwe6ENs4YP7sCc1mBkuJV75x8xVyKeiLRtfJjgXYnS~RcjAkosNJzQlgL2BhY~wU18vJh0jog__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the opening of the House Families and Veterans Committee hearing, Representative Wozniak moved to adopt the minutes of the May 13 meeting \"without objection,\" and Chair Schmaltz recorded the motion as ordered.

Near the end of the meeting Representative Thompson moved to excuse absent members; the motion was adopted \"without objection,\" and Chair Schmaltz adjourned the committee.

Both procedural motions were handled by unanimous consent and no roll‑call votes were recorded in the transcript.","The House Families and Veterans Committee adopted the minutes of its May 13 meeting and later excused absent members; both actions were approved without objection.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6535399,"Highfields CEO urges state support to preserve family-preservation services",796,497000,1293000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3407086-a6736ad4e6f4ad370234751a398d1eaa&start=497&end=1293","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3407086-a6736ad4e6f4ad370234751a398d1eaa/thumbnail_497000.jpg","/articles/6535399/Michigan/Highfields-CEO-urges-state-support-to-preserve-family-preservation-services","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6535399-4acf926049e2cf7d78ebcfa1b21c0973/orig.mp4?Expires=1770911761&Signature=fAuW79tAMnF0nmZt1Y8jAyMpQULEUdRxeX9EQ1wpPUK7bzf20vysVYuxZLVI0sPYcVrbuG2zuMbQ5fZM1dNLN0vXYZuIKhdxLrq9UkoUPBrKFUP3P3tKz6Z2Z8MuV7U-snS1H9LJfXGNAbZHeqoKvb0g85Ly-8pzxFHQqnklQuMMKN7MkFiVCDHgN6YbCpenjQ1xWAluvqXpSaeJjXRa3Jp-4GOw-I8ejyKzxWYt7NC0gMmN8EFO3jqA1uCbGXMpcMsX91jpK6T9-EOU2pPG~HZ8ghoZYCDaCdYiTVtNN~0n4fsyv48kaSYOE-ZypcsI8TyDJHsx0D-hiSGeqm0O7A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Brian Filson, chief executive officer of Highfields, told the Michigan House Families and Veterans Committee that preserving community-based family-preservation programs is both better for children and cheaper than out-of-home placements.

Filson spoke to the committee after Chair Schmaltz introduced him and described Highfields as a longstanding provider. He summarized Highfields’ work and statistics, said the agency serves 10 counties, and urged continued state support for provider rates and cost-of-living increases so organizations can continue prevention work.

Filson said Highfields now operates three divisions — residential, educational and community services — with the bulk of the agency’s work in community services and education. He said Highfields runs five educational sites in Jackson County, four in Ingham County and one in Eaton County, with roughly 30 children served each day at each location. Filson described in‑home family preservation, children’s behavioral health and autism case management as central to the agency’s approach.

\"Children are best served when they stay in their home,\" Filson said, adding that Highfields tries to \"stabilize, strengthen, and then ... empower\" families so children do not need foster care. He described the agency’s home‑based model as a point of difference: \"We meet them at their earliest point of need.\"

Filson told legislators that juvenile justice involvement and out-of-home placements remain costly and that preserving providers now reduces future public expense: \"Every dollar spent in preservation will save a lot of money, particularly around out of home placements,\" he said. He warned of funding risks and said providers face pressure from potential loss of federal funding and Medicaid changes: \"We are under attack,\" he said.

During questions, Representative Wozniak asked about substance use among adolescents the agency serves. Filson said a greater share of youth entering juvenile justice have diagnosable mental‑health disorders than primary substance‑use disorders, though marijuana and alcohol remain common and an opioid supply persists. Representative Thompson pressed on placement delays; Filson said the state has faced a shortage of placements in recent years and said Highfields had about 10 youth on a waiting list at the time of his remarks. He added that some counties have sent youth out of state when local placements were not available.

Filson described the residential program as typically admitting males aged roughly 13–17 and noted program lengths vary — many residential placements run about six months, and some extend toward eight or nine months. Filson said Highfields’ educational programs operate as after‑school sites to help with homework, reduce daytime behavioral issues and provide meals and transportation home.

Several representatives thanked Filson for the prevention focus and discussed staff recruitment for in‑home services; Filson said hiring was recovering after pandemic‑era challenges and that the agency measures outcomes at three months, six months and one year depending on program goals (for example, no further out‑of‑home placement for child‑welfare work, or school/work engagement for juvenile justice programs).

Filson also offered anecdotal examples of clients who avoided foster care or regained family custody after Highfields interventions. He noted Highfields received a state infrastructure grant to renovate its administrative and residential treatment hub and said the agency planned a dedication in July for that project.

Highfields’ testimony primarily sought continued attention to provider rates and stable funding so community‑based prevention and family preservation services can remain available to children and families.","Brian Filson, CEO of Highfields, told the House Families and Veterans Committee that prevention-focused, in-home and school-based services keep children out of foster care, that demand for placements remains higher than supply, and he asked lawmakers to protect provider funding amid federal and Medicaid uncertainties.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Physician and researchers describe Rx/ARCS Kids cash‑prescription program and early results

Committee adopts May 13 minutes, excuses absent members by unanimous consent

Highfields CEO urges state support to preserve family-preservation services