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Connersville will be site of state's 20th Safe Haven Baby Box

Indiana has 19 Safe Haven Baby Boxes.
Marion County's first baby box installed in Decatur Township (Photo: Allen Carter/WTHR)

CONNERSVILLE, Ind. (WTHR) — Indiana is about to get its 20th Safe Haven Baby Box.

The latest installation is underway in Connersville.

A ribbon cutting is scheduled for Thursday at Fire Station 4, 124 South Fountain Street at 10:30 a.m.

It's the 24th Safe Haven Baby Box in the United States.

The baby boxes and the Safe Haven hotline have helped Hoosier moms in need surrender dozens of newborns since 2016.

The boxes, under Indiana's Safe Haven Law, allow a mother in crisis to anonymously and safely surrender her unharmed, unwanted newborn.

They're usually located outside fire stations or hospitals.

The baby must be 30 days old or younger. And the boxes are like incubators, with heating and cooling features.

An alarm notifies 911 as soon as a baby is placed inside, so that first responders can take the child to a hospital.

This program has been successful. Just last year in Indiana, it's been able to help safely surrender seven babies and many more across the country.

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