Dr. Mona Hanna, the pediatrician who spoke up about elevated levels of lead in Flint's drinking water several years ago, has been named as a USA Today's Women of the Year honoree for her latest project supporting young families. 

Hanna is one of 61 women to receive the award this year. The newspaper announced 10 names as national winners and then also one for each state plus the district of Columbia. Hanna is the Michigan honoree, according to an article published Thursday in the Detroit Free Press, which is part of the Gannett/USA Today network. 

She was born in England and then moved with her family to Michigan, where she grew up. 

Her research on the impact of lead in Flint's drinking water was related in her book, "What the Eyes Don't See: A Story of Crisis, Resistance and Hope in An American City." 

The Flint water crisis also is related to her current work with Rx Kids, the first project of its kind in the country. 

The circumstances date back to 2014, when the city of Flint changed its water source from Detroit to the Flint River. The decision was intended as a cost-saving step; but residents soon started complaining of a foul smell. She eventually learned that lead from the city's older pipes was leaching into the now more corrosive water. Hanna's experience as a pediatrician led her to consider the implications for brain damage, developmental delays and speech problems among children. 

Hanna presented her findings of blood lead levels among the local children in September 2015. 

The impact included a financial settlement for Flint families, indictments against several public officials and public attention to lead and other chemicals that might be in public drinking water. Hanna was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2016. 

In recent years, she was one of those involved in launching, and is now the director for, Rx Kids, the first program of its kind in the country. Funding for Rx Kids comes from foundations, funds and the state of Michigan. Participating families in Flint receive $1,500 when the mother is in mid-pregnancy; and an additional $500 a month during the child's first year.  

There is no income restriction on receiving the stipend, although it is meant to help alleviate the circumstances of poverty circumstances. The program explains that household income historically drops, yet expenses are high, during a child's first year of life. 

Rx Kids recently expanded to residents of Kalamazoo and will soon include families in the Eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan.