LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- New Albany's newest fire station is now home to Indiana's 99th baby box.
The Safe Haven Baby Box was installed at the city's Fire Station No. 5 on Charlestown Road, which opened in April.
It's the 99th in Indiana and the 144th in the nation, according to Monica Kelsey, founder and CEO of the Safe Haven Baby Box.
The baby boxes allow mothers in need to anonymously and safely surrender an infant legally under the Safe Haven Law.
"The preparation is key to successfully protecting women in crisis and their infants," Kelsey said in a news release Tuesday, Aug. 15. "We are saving and changing lives. New Albany is investing in their community by featuring a Baby Box and we are grateful."
Baby boxes are climate-controlled, with heating and cooling to make sure an infant will be comfortable. Once a baby is put in the box, the exterior door locks and three silent alarms will alert first responders. Within five minutes, the baby will be attended to and taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
Kelsey said babies are typically adopted within 30 to 45 days by "families who are signed up for foster care with the intention to adopt."
Thirty-five infants have been placed in a baby box since 2017, and over 130 surrenders have happened through calls to the National Safe Haven Baby Box Hotline, 1-866-99BABY1, which is available all day every day. The hotline provides counseling services to parents who may be unable or unwilling to care for their newborn.
Kentucky is also home to 19 baby boxes. They can also be found in Ohio, Arkansas, Florida, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Missouri and Tennessee.
For more information about Safe Haven Baby Boxes, click here.
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- Baby girl surrendered at Safe Haven Baby Box in Okolona, first time baby box used in Louisville
- New Albany Fire Department celebrates opening of new station
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