Newborn Placed in Safe Haven Baby Box in Ohio
A newborn was submitted to the Safe Haven Baby Box at a fire department in Clermont County, Ohio.
Monica Kelsey, the founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, advised that maintaining discretion regarding the circumstances of the surrender was essential. She mentioned that the baby was entrusted to the Union Township Fire Department several months back. Fire Chief Austin Clements expressed gratitude for the community resources available to support mothers in need, noting that the infant was healthy.
Clements clarified that firefighters adhered to protocol, transferring the case to the Department of Family Services. He refrained from sharing specifics about the case, respecting privacy. However, Kelsey remarked that all the infants placed through their initiative have been adopted.
The baby box system aims to prevent parents from abandoning their newborns in perilous situations. These temperature-controlled incubators are integrated into the outer walls of fire stations, police stations, and hospitals, allowing at-risk mothers to safely surrender their babies indoors. Once the baby is placed inside the box, the outer door locks, giving the mother a chance to leave before an alarm triggers, alerting emergency responders and hospital staff to the child’s presence.
The infant is promptly transported to a hospital for health evaluations. After that, the baby typically enters state custody and often finds an adoptive home soon after.
In Ohio, infants up to 30 days old can be legally surrendered at baby boxes, hospitals, fire departments, police stations, and emergency medical services. The first Safe Haven Baby Box in Ohio was established in December when a baby girl was placed in one at a fire station in Lebanon. The latest surrender occurred just prior to the introduction of a new baby box at Hamilton’s Fire Station 22.
Additionally, Safe Haven Baby Boxes operates a national hotline, 1-866-99BABY1, providing confidential assistance and information about safe surrender options, including in-person surrenders.
