‘A Gift of Love and Care:’ Rx Kids’ Cash Transfer Program Offers Critical Financial Support to Michigan Families in the Eastern UP

Community,Maternal Health,Family Health,BCBSM Foundation

‘A Gift of Love and Care:’ Rx Kids’ Cash Transfer Program Offers Critical Financial Support to Michigan Families in the Eastern UP

Today | 6 min read

Key Takeaways

Economic instability can negatively affect the long-term health, opportunity and prosperity of children before they are born and lead to developmental delays, obesity, chronic disease and other poor health outcomes.
Rx Kids expanded into the Eastern Upper Peninsula in 2025 to serve families in Alger, Chippewa, Luca, Mackinac and Schoolcraft counties.
The organization provides relief in the form of $4,500 cash prescriptions for mothers-to-be, featuring a $1,500 transfer at the midpoint of pregnancy.
After that, Rx Kids provides $500 per month payouts for the first six months of the baby's life.

Many families experience their lowest economic security in the period just before their child is born and into that child’s first year of life. This reality has made the Rx Kids cash transfer initiative such a life-changing program for Michigan families.

Already active in more than two dozen Michigan communities, Rx Kids expanded into the Eastern Upper Peninsula (UP) in 2025 to serve families in Alger, Chippewa, Luca, Mackinac and Schoolcraft counties. Rx Kids provides relief in the form of $4,500 total to each mom and baby resident in these Eastern UP counties.

The initial cash transfer of $1,500 is awarded at the midpoint of pregnancy, followed by $500 per month payouts for the first six months of the baby’s life. These cash transfers – also known as cash prescriptions – cover everything from prenatal care, food, diapers and toys to unexpected “financial shocks” mothers may experience during this critical one-to-two-year window, such as job losses or raises in rent.

The program’s simple nature is proving to be a huge help in the Eastern UP, a mostly rural area that experiences economic hardship and slightly above average poverty rates, according to research.

“That’s what makes Rx Kids so powerful,” said Alyssa Stewart, the director of philanthropic partnerships with Rx Kids. “It’s so simple in its design. It’s just getting cash to people at the point in life where they are struggling the most.”

Additionally, because the UP is so sparsely populated, travel constraints can lead to missed prenatal visits. Rx Kids wanted to expand into the UP to break down barriers like these that are relatively unique to the area.

“Especially in the UP, there is significant travel required to get any sort of medical care for moms and families, and so money becomes this really significant barrier,” Stewart said. “Sometimes we think about people not wanting to go to prenatal care; that’s really not the case. In most cases they don’t have the financial resources to get there.”

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) Foundation helped Rx Kids get off the ground in the UP with a $75,000 Investigator Initiated Research Program grant in early 2025. Economic instability can negatively affect the long-term health, opportunity and prosperity of children before they are even born and lead to low birthweight, developmental delays, obesity, chronic disease and other poor health outcomes.

Knowing this – and knowing rural communities also bear a disparate burden of child poverty – Rx Kids used this one-year grant to conduct invaluable research that is leading to positive maternal health outcomes in the UP.

What does the data say about Rx Kids’ impact in the UP?

Most Rx Kids research is pulled from administrative data, meaning the organization doesn’t have to ask moms and families how the program impacts them because the data provides those answers.

“A piece of what the Foundation’s amazing grant has supported is the qualitative data,” Stewart said. “The administrative data is of course important, but we also want to hear from the moms about how these resources are impacting them.”

BCBSM Foundation funds supported surveys administered every six months to Eastern UP moms enrolled in Rx Kids.

“They were asked questions about how cash prescriptions impacted their day-to-day life,” Stewart said. “The first one, which was administered in the summer, had 130 responses.”

Here are a few key findings Rx Kids gleaned from that survey:

77% of the eastern UP respondents said Rx Kids helped them make ends meet financially.
49% said they experienced a financial shock at some point during their Rx Kids. participation, including car breakdowns, rent or utility changes, job losses and moving. Of those that experienced a shock, 74% of participants used Rx Kids payments to mitigate the issue.
66% agreed Rx Kids helped improve their health and their infant’s health.

Stewart said Rx Kids is often asked what parents most commonly spend their cash transfers on. Qualitative data like the kind the BCBSM Foundation helped support allowed Rx Kids to gather a list of most-purchased items by Eastern UP moms. The top five items were:

Baby supplies
Food
Utilities
Rent
Baby clothing

“It was a no-brainer to partner with Rx Kids again after seeing the impact its proven model has had on families across Michigan in the last two years,” said BCBSM Senior Program Officer, Dr. Melissa Boguslawski. “Dr. Mona Hanna and her wonderful team have significantly improved maternal health outcomes in the Mitten and now they are doing the same in the UP.”

‘Rx Kids makes me feel valued by our community:’ Moms enrolled in Rx Kids share feedback

One of the most fascinating things about Rx Kids for Stewart – who referred to the work she does as a “privilege” – is how it ripples.

“It almost feels good to be true,” she said. “There are not many things in our communities right now that feel this grounded in dignity and love. It is truly meant to be a gift. A gift of love and a gift of care for families that are at this very precious, delicate time in their life.”

Stewart shared a few quotes that reinforced why she and everyone at Rx Kids do what they do.

“Rx makes me feel valued by our community,” the mom wrote. “Having three kids is a lot of work and it’s expensive. To have my mothering experience be valued and supported by Rx Kids is so reassuring.”

Another mom shared, “thank you for allowing me to feel confident about bringing this little girl into the world.”

Others surveyed shared how the cash transfer program impacted their entire family dynamic.

“My husband and I were both able to take time off after birth. Neither of us had to worry about rushing right back to work and we were able to relax and enjoy our sweet baby.”

Stewart said Rx Kids has big plans to expand into the entire UP in 2026, a goal made partly possible by the partnership with the BCBSM Foundation.

“The early investment that the BCBSM Foundation made helps make further growth into the rest of the UP as a possibility,” she said. “Early investments help us gather the compelling research and data, and community support needed, the proof that this works in a rural setting. Which is so powerful when we go and seek additional funds from other sources so we can bring this to the entirety of the UP.”

Learn more about the Investigator Initiated Research Program, including eligibility and proposal requirements, by visiting this link. And click here to learn more about Rx Kids.

More Foundation stories:

Photo credit: Rx Kids