BEECH GROVE — Beginning Sept. 1, parents in Beech Grove will have a safe place to surrender their baby if needed.
The new baby box will be located at 1202 Albany Street, which is the City of Beech Grove's EMS Station.
The city says they chose to install the box at the EMS Station to ensure any babies surrendered will be immediately taken into the closest medical facility for evaluation.
Any parent who feels as if they cannot care for their newborn can surrender the baby at the box safely, securely and anonymously.
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So far in 2023, six babies have been surrendered at Indiana baby boxes. Two of those were at locations in Carmel and Kokomo.
An open house will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday at the EMS Station to bless the box.
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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.
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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.
Safe Haven Hotline
The boxes make the news, but the Safe Haven Hotline is where most of these journeys begin.
SHBB staffs a 24-hour Safe Haven hotline (1-866-99BABY1), so 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
Under the Safe Haven Law, parents have up to 30 days to change their mind once they surrender an infant.
For more information on Safe Haven Baby Boxes, click here.
