A healthy baby has been surrendered at a Safe Haven Baby Box in Beech Grove, Indiana, for the first time since its opening.
The Beech Grove Safe Haven Baby Box opened back in September in the city's EMS Station, located at 1202 Albany Street.
Although this is the first baby surrendered at this location, this marks the seventh baby surrendered in Indiana this year and the 17th baby surrendered at any Safe Haven Baby Box in 2023.
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.
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 to 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) with licensed counselors. The trained professionals can talk to parents and share more information about their options for surrendering or how to get assistance to help them be able to care for their child.
The Safe Haven Law allows mothers to safely surrender their infants, anonymously, up to 30 days old. It also allows parents up to 30 days to change their minds once they surrender an infant.
For more information on Safe Haven Baby Boxes, click here.
