INDIANA — Last week, another newborn was surrendered in Indiana at a Safe Haven Baby Box.
The surrendered at the Georgetown Township Fire Stationmarked the first for the organization in 2024. It also marked the first at this station since the installation of the baby box in December 2022.
“We are so grateful to this birth mother for bravely and sacrificially choosing what she believes to be best for her baby," Safe Haven Baby Box founder Monica Kelsey said. "We are honored that she trusted our program to protect her and her infant. We are seeing record numbers of mothers needing our program and we are so eager to meet their needs and be prepared. There is a real beauty in seeing the families made with these babies adopted by amazing families. It is a real chance to rewrite tragedy into a blessing.”
“The Georgetown Township Fire Department received notification of a “Baby Box” activation last week. The crew responded to the alert immediately and discovered an infant," Fire Chief William Banta said. "The needs of the infant were attended to promptly, and the proper notifications were made. The thoughts and prayers of the members of the GTFD are with everyone involved with this situation."
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Georgetown, Indiana is located in southern Indiana near Louisville along State Road 64.
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.
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.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SAFE HAVEN BABY BOXES
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.
