Newborn surrendered to baby box installed less than 3 months ago
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO/Gray News) – A newborn in Kentucky was safely surrendered to a Safe Haven Baby Box, just under three months after it was installed.
Officials said the healthy baby was surrendered Feb. 9 to the Bowling Green Fire Department.
“We know this infant was loved by their birth mother and will be quickly adopted by a family who has been eagerly awaiting a baby,” Safe Haven Baby Box founder and CEO Monica Kelsey said. “We rejoice for the opportunity to make a positive outcome out of tough circumstances.”
The Bowling Green baby box was placed in December of 2022 and became the 16th Safe Haven Baby Box in Kentucky and the 132nd in the country.
The Baby Box has heating and cooling elements to provide comfort for the infant, along with silent alarms to notify first responders.
The newborn is attended to within five minutes, medically evaluated at the hospital and adopted within 30 to 45 days.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes says 24 infants have been placed in a Baby Box since Nov. 2017. In 2022, eight newborns were surrendered via a Baby Box.
If you need help finding a Safe Haven location or would like to speak to a licensed counselor, call the National Safe Haven crisis hotline at 1-866-99BABY1.
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