A pediatrician helped expose Flint's water crisis. Now she's fighting poverty one baby at a time.

CBS News

4 days ago

Flint, Michigan — At a parade last year in Flint, Michigan, every family and their babies celebrated a gift from the same woman — pediatrician Dr. Mona Hanna.
"How can you say no to these babies? Like how can you say no?" Hanna told CBS News.
Rx kids, a program she created to give cash to pregnant moms, is an American first.
"I wanted something that literally would be able to prescribe away the pathogen of poverty," Hanna said. "I wanted something that I could pull out of my doctor's bag, pull out of my white coat that literally would be able to prescribe away the pathogen of poverty. Poverty makes kids sick. So I wanted to prevent it."
She's raised more than $100 million, 80% of which is from private donors. Now, every expectant mother in Flint, regardless of income, can get $1,500 during her pregnancy. Once the baby is born, it's $500 a month for up to a year — no strings attached.
"So what we are hearing from our families is that this amount of money is a lifesaver, a game changer for our families," Hanna said. "They can afford to pay their rent. They can buy diapers for their baby. They can buy formula. They don't have to choose between being homeless or having a roof over their heads."
When asked how to know if the money is being spent on the right things, Hanna said, "This is based on global evidence. Our families...through multiple surveys, we know that they're spending this money No. 1 on baby supplies, and then on food, rent utilities, transportation, childcare."
"We are telling families, 'We see you, we hear you, and we trust you,'" she added.
Hanna knows child poverty runs in Flint's bloodstream. In 2015, she brought national attention to the city's corroding water pipes and linked them to children with lead poisoning. Now she's tackling poverty.
In four areas of Michigan, any expectant mother can apply. But in Flint, the program reports 60% of enrolled families have an annual household income of less than $10,000.
When Angela Sintery was pregnant with her daughter Jolena, she remembers filling out a five-minute questionnaire.
"Two weeks later, I had money in my bank account," Sintery said, adding that the money allowed her not to stress out and focus on her baby instead.
Michigan State Sen. John Damoose is a conservative Republican from a red district. He's no fan of handouts, but pushed hard to get Rx Kids in his district.
"It's extremely efficient. There's no government bureaucracy whatsoever. This is actually a great program that meets people right where they need it," Damoose said.
Since early last year, Rx Kids has spread roughly $10 million to more than 2,200 families.
"This is a plug-and-play program. It is already built with dollars at the table. We are ready to go live in communities across the nation," Hanna said.