Students from Rockcastle County, Kentucky, are taking steps to address infant abandonment by facilitating the introduction of Safe Haven Baby Boxes in their communities.
Over the past few years, Rockcastle County High School students have engaged in various initiatives and fundraisers aimed at placing a baby box at Rockcastle Regional Hospital, as noted in a recent report.
“The project started back in 2022 when Brooke Abney, a participant in the school’s Family Career Community Leaders of America program, discovered the potential of baby boxes to save lives,” according to the report. “The FCCLA program at Rockcastle High School collaborated on this initiative after conducting extensive research and organizing fundraising events to bring this project to fruition.”
Baby boxes are designed to prevent parents from abandoning their newborns in hazardous conditions. These temperature-controlled incubators are usually installed on the exterior walls of fire stations, police stations, and hospitals, allowing at-risk mothers to safely and legally place their newborns inside. Once a baby is placed in the box, the outer door locks, giving the mother a chance to leave before an alarm goes off to alert first responders and hospital personnel to the infant’s arrival.
After being placed in the box, the baby is promptly taken to the hospital for health evaluations. Typically, the infant is then placed in state custody, with many being adopted quickly afterwards.
The dedication ceremony for Rockcastle County’s Baby Box took place on Friday.
“We owe our newest Kentucky store to some exceptionally dedicated high school students, and we are incredibly thankful,” stated Safe Haven Baby Box in a Facebook update.
In Kentucky, parents can legally surrender newborns up to 30 days old at hospitals, police departments, fire stations, EMS providers, and baby boxes, according to the organization.
Additionally, Safe Haven Baby Boxes operates a confidential national hotline, 1-866-99BABY1, offering complimentary counseling and guidance on safe surrender options, including in-person surrenders.
