The Metro: A prescription for poverty — program paying pregnant moms expands to Wayne County
For Black Maternal Health Week, The Metro spoke with two health care providers chipping away at high maternal mortality rates.
Dr. Mona Hanna joins The Metro to talk about Rx Kids, a program that provides financial support to pregnant women, now expanding to Wayne County.
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The U.S. health care system has failed to take care of some expectant mothers, especially moms of color.
Data shows stark racial disparities in maternal and infant health have existed for decades, with Black and American Indian mothers more likely to die as a result of childbirth.
In Detroit, a lot of expectant moms face grim outcomes in a number of ways. The city had the highest preterm birth rate at over 15%, according to a recent report from the March of Dimes.
These statistics speak to a larger problem. People of color, especially Black women, face roadblocks to accessing health care more broadly. They also have worse health outcomes due to factors like racism, financial barriers and historical trauma.
Dr. Mona Hanna has been working to address these disparities.
Her program, Rx Kids, provides cash payments to expectant mothers during pregnancy and throughout the child’s first year to accommodate families’ basic needs. The program, funded through public and private dollars, is now expanding to Wayne County.
Wayne State Professor of Emergency Medicine Dr. Phillip Levy also joined the show to discuss the Wayne Health Mobile Unit, which takes health care on the road to low-income neighborhoods in Detroit. It provides pregnant moms — in a city where roughly 30% of residents lack reliable transportation — with door-to-door health care.
Use the media player above to hear the full conversation.
More stories from The Metro on Thursday, April 17:
- Bookstock, Detroit’s largest used-book sale, supporting literacy initiatives across the state
- Dr. Abdul El-Sayed enters US Senate race in Michigan
- Auto industry taking an economic turn due to tariffs
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand.
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