MADISON, Ind. (WDRB) -- Another Safe Haven Baby Box is available in southern Indiana.
"Our mission is to end infant abandonment in this country," said Chanel Cunningham with Safe Haven.
Indiana's 49th baby box, which allows a mother to surrender her newborn infant 30 days old or less with 100% anonymity, went live Friday afternoon at King's Daughters' Health in Madison, Indiana. The Baby Box is located along Fourth Street, on the south side of the hospital's EMS Annex building.
The baby box should be a last resort, Cunningham said.
"It's there as help, but our preference is to have someone hand a baby over to a firefighter or a hospital staff personnel," she added. "... However, we know that's not always the case, and some mothers are scared to do the face to face."
In that case, Cunningham said, a silent alarm is triggered once the door opens.
"When the baby is placed in the bassinet, a sensor is broken, and that sets off a second alarm to allow for the baby to be placed in and the mother to walk away," she said. "She shuts the door, the door locks, she walks away and the baby can be retrieved from the inside."
Indiana's 49th baby box, which allows a mother to surrender her newborn infant 30 days old or less with 100% anonymity, went live Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, at King's Daughters' Health in Madison, Ind.
The Madison site is the 54th Safe Haven Baby Box available in the United States. Monica Kelsey, a first responder who founded the Safe Haven Baby Box Inc. nonprofit, was abandoned as an infant and is committed to raising awareness of the Safe Haven Law.
The organization also staffs a Safe Haven National Crisis Hotline (1-866-99BABY1), which offers 24/7 counseling and resources to a parent in who are considering a safe surrender.
"We've had mothers call us before and after surrendering, and we can provide them with resources should they decide to parent," Cunningham said. "We can also set up and help with an adoption plan."
A Safe Haven Baby Box includes security features such as heating and cooling components and a sophisticated alarm system. As Cunningham said, the inside is illuminated and includes a hospital-grade bassinet. The infant is placed inside the Baby Box for less than four minutes, allowing emergency medical personnel to respond to the silent alarm to retrieve the newborn.
"They will do a medical assessment and take the baby to the hospital," Cunningham said.
The baby boxes are available to anyone.
"This is a great resource for not only Madison but the surrounding communities," Cunningham said. "Legislation has yet to pass for allowing baby boxes to be installed (in Kentucky)."
Indiana's 49th baby box, which allows a mother to surrender her newborn infant 30 days old or less with 100% anonymity, went live Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, at King's Daughters' Health in Madison, Ind.
In December of 2014, Linda Znachko claimed the body of an infant that was found by a hiker.
"I called the coroner when I saw that news story and I asked if I could claim that baby, because they did not have any way of determining who the mother was," said Znachko, the founder of He Knows Your Name Ministry. "I named her Amelia, put her in a burial gown and invited the community to come."
At the funeral, Znachko met Kelsey.
"Monica shared with me that she had this passion for Safe Haven Baby Boxes," Znachko said.
The women have remained connected in the years since. In fact, Znachko said Amelia's legacy lives on through the Safe Haven Baby Boxes.
"Amelia's footprint is now on the logo of the Safe Haven Baby Boxes," she said. "Her legacy is changing the world."
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