NEW HAVEN, Ind. (WTHR) - Another newborn has been surrendered in a baby box at an Indiana fire station.
According to WPTA-TV in Fort Wayne, the baby girl was left around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the New Haven Adams Township Fire Department. The founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, Monica Kelsey, confirmed the news to WPTA.
“I want to personally thank this brave mother that carried her child to term, kept her safe, and then exercised her rights under Indiana’s safe haven law and surrendered her newborn in our box. This newborn is healthy and perfect.”, Kelsey said in a release.
The fire station's baby box was installed just 51 days ago in December 2019.
“We are proud to have this resource available for the residents of New Haven, Indiana,” Fire Chief Josh Hale said in the release. “It is our ongoing goal everyday to ensure the safety of all of our residents, and today we were able to ensure the safety of one of our newest residents.”
There are more than 20 Safe Haven Baby Boxes in Indiana, the most of any state in the country. Four children have been surrendered in baby boxes in Indiana in the last 161 days, according to Safe Haven Baby Boxes.
The box is a place where parents who can't take care of their newborns can go to drop them off without breaking the law. Sixty seconds after a baby is placed inside, an alarm sounds and automatically notifies 911 dispatch. Firefighters and medics inside the firehouse can quickly respond to get the child out of the box and give it the care it needs.
The first baby box was used in Indiana in Michigan City in March 2017.
