Michigan's cash aid program for new parents, Rx Kids, is set to launch in six Wayne County cities as soon as next week after county commissioners approved $7.5 million to expand the program into some of the highest-need communities.

Rx Kids provides $1,500 to mothers during pregnancy and $500 per month for the first six or 12 months of the baby's life, depending on the amount of funding for the program in a specific community.

It receives support from a combination of funding from communities it operates in, philanthropic money and most recently $270 million from Michigan's state budget. Rx Kids was founded by Dr. Mona Hanna, a pediatrician and associate dean for public health at Michigan State University who played a key role in exposing the Flint water crisis.

The money approved by

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