BEECH GROVE — Safe Haven Baby Boxes recently installed a new baby box at a Beech Grove EMS building located at 1202 Albany Street.
The Baby Box will be available 24/7 for any parent in crisis to anonymously surrender the child to willing caretakers.
A Baby Box is a safety device provided for under state’s Safe Haven Law and legally permits a mother in crisis to safely, securely, and anonymously surrender if they are unable to care for their newborn. No cameras record the mother. The box has an exterior door that automatically locks upon placement of a newborn inside the Baby Box, and an interior door which allows a medical staff member to secure the surrendered newborn from inside the designated building. An alarm sounds inside the building to alert staff that a baby has been placed inside
Safe Haven Baby Boxes has recorded 14 babies surrendered throughout the country this year. Several of these surrenders have occurred in Indiana, with infants being dropped off at Baby Box locations in Carmel and Kokomo within the last 2 months.
The Safe Haven Baby Box organization staffs a 24-hour hotline (1-866-99BABY1) to give women the opportunity to talk to a trained professional as they consider safely surrendering their baby.
The box in Beech Grove will be the 104th Baby Box to have been installed throughout the Hoosier State since 2017. According to the organization in charge of the boxes, at least six infant surrenders have occurred in Indiana this year.