LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky's 60th Safe Haven Baby Box was blessed in Fairdale Tuesday afternoon.
The baby box was installed at the Fairdale Fire Protection District Station 81 on Mitchell Hill Road.
The boxes are usually installed at fire stations and hospitals to provide a safe, secure, compassionate and anonymous alternative for parents in crisis to surrender an infant without legal repercussions.
The climate-controlled boxes keep the infant comfortable until fire officials are alerted with three silent alarms within five minutes of a baby being placed in the box.
Surrendered infants are adopted by families who have registered as foster-to-adopt. Local family services departments help coordinate the adoption process.
During Tuesday's dedication and blessing, Fairdale's fire chief called the box free of judgment and full of love and said every woman's situation is different.
"They're not alone. We're here for them. We're not going to judge them and we'll give them as much resources and whatever opportunities to help them along the way," Chief Carrie Blevins said.
The fire station partnered with Safe Haven Baby Boxes and other nonprofit organizations, including Shirley's Way, to make the installation possible.
"This gives moms the ability to do something positive for the baby if they don't feel that they're able to," said Mike Mulrooney, with Shirley's Way. "It's such a courageous decision for a woman to walk up and to do this to save the baby's life and give it a life that they probably couldn't provide."
Kentucky and Indiana are two of 17 states that have baby boxes. The Fairdale baby box is the 60th in Kentucky and the 398th in the nation.
Since 2017, 70 infants have been safely and legally surrendered through the baby box program.
In addition to the baby boxes, the Safe Haven organization offers a 24-hour hotline that women in crisis can call for counseling and assistance. The National Safe Haven Crisis line is 1-866-99BABY1. The business office can be reached at 1-888-742-2133. For an online link to the crisis line for Safe Haven Baby Boxes, click here. To date, the hotline has helped with more than 176 handoff surrenders.
Monica Kelsey founded Safe Haven Baby Boxes in 2015 on a mission to end infant abandonment.
Click here for a list of baby box locations.
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