EDGEWOOD — Moms in need in Madison County now have a place to safely surrender their baby if needed.
Indiana's 92nd Safe Haven Baby Box was dedicated Wednesday at the Edgewood Fire Department, located at 3323 Nichol Avenue in Anderson.
LIST | Find a Safe Haven Baby Box Near You
Since 2017, 21 infants have been placed in a Baby Box and there have been 125 surrenders resulting from calls to the national SHBB hotline (1-866-99BABY1). Parents can talk to trained professionals and get more information about their options for surrendering or how to get assistance to help them be able to care for their child.
The SHBB hotline is staffed by licensed counselors.
The Safe Haven Law allows mothers to safely surrender their infants, anonymously, up to 30 days old.
Six babies have been surrendered in Indiana Safe Haven Baby Boxes in 2022.
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There are currently 128 Safe Haven Baby Boxes available in Indiana, Ohio, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, and New Mexico. Click HERE for a list of all available baby box locations across the country.
What is a Safe Haven Baby Box?
Baby boxes are safe incubators that have alarm systems, so 911 is notified as soon as a baby is placed inside. The baby boxes also have heating and cooling features.
READ | Meet Grace: One of Indiana's Safe Haven babies
Once the infant is collected by first responders, they're taken to the nearest medical facility to be evaluated.
Infants surrendered under Indiana's Safe Haven Law are placed in the custody of the state's Department of Child Services after they are released from the hospital. The process then begins to find an adoptive family within 30-45 days.
