Oakland County approves $500,000 to launch Rx Kids cash-prescription program for new mothers
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Summary
The Finance Committee approved a $500,000 appropriation to help launch the Rx Kids prenatal and infant cash-prescription program in Pontiac, Hazel Park and Royal Oak Township, a county official said. The county funds are intended to leverage state TANF and private dollars to expand the program.
The Oakland County Finance Committee approved a $500,000 appropriation to help launch Rx Kids, a prenatal and infant cash-prescription program intended to support new mothers and babies during the first months of life.
County officials said the $500,000 is intended to catalyze matching public and private funds to bring Rx Kids to Pontiac, Hazel Park and Royal Oak Township and to leverage up to $2 million in available Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding reserved in the state budget.
Madiha, a county presenter, told commissioners the program gives a monthly cash “prescription” to eligible mothers in the first six months of an infant’s life. “Our motion is to authorize a appropriation of $500,000 to the Oakland County Rx Kids,” she said. Sarah Coles, Oakland County strategic partnerships and initiatives officer, said the county funding is designed to unlock private and municipal matches already raised for a two‑year launch.
Why it matters: County staff said the program has shown measurable outcomes in other Michigan pilot sites. Presenters cited evaluations from Flint, where administrators reported higher housing and food security among participants, near‑universal takeup and no evictions among participating families in the program’s first year. The county’s presentation also cited a reduction in postpartum depression symptoms among participants of roughly 10 percentage points in that evaluation.
How it will be organized: County officials said local implementation will be led by a community partner identified in the presentation as ULSA, with operations support from GiveDirectly for benefit disbursement. Presenters listed private funders already committed in Pontiac (the Alex Family Foundation, the Pontiac Funders Collaborative at the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, and the Total Health Foundation) and said private fundraising exceeded $5 million to date for the cluster launch.
Funding mechanics and urgency: Sarah Coles said $20 million in TANF matching funds is available at the state level to localities that can demonstrate matching commitments, and that the opportunity will be awarded to jurisdictions that can demonstrate readiness and matching funds. County staff said the $500,000 is intended to be a county match to unlock those TANF dollars and private contributions. Commissioners asked for quarterly reporting and additional implementation detail to be added to the board packet.
Next steps and oversight: Commissioners asked staff to provide more detailed written information — a program presentation, evaluation data and a quarterly reporting plan — before the item goes to the full Board of Commissioners. The committee motion carried; presenters said staff will return with more detailed metrics and a reporting schedule.
Votes at committee: Motion to authorize the appropriation moved by Commissioner Powell and supported by Commissioner Smith Charles; presenters and several commissioners discussed implementation timelines and reporting before the motion passed.
Community impact and scope: County presenters said the TANF‑eligible population targeted is Medicaid births in the selected communities and that the initial launch will be targeted to specific localities where matching and private funds can be pooled to maximize the state TANF allocation.
Ending: County staff said they will use the county appropriation to catalyze the local launches, pursue matching TANF funds in Lansing and return to the board with implementation detail and regular updates.
