BEECH GROVE, Ind. — We are learning more about an infant left in a central Indiana Safe Haven Baby Box this week.
Beech Grove officials announced Friday, Dec. 8 the baby is healthy and doing well after being surrendered.
“The Beech Grove EMS Department feels it's imperative to reach out and inform the community how brave this mother was giving a precious baby a new life,” said Robert Cheshire, Beech Grove EMS director.
Dedicated on Sept. 1, 2023, the baby box at Beech Grove EMS Station 56 was the 104th installed in Indiana, by far the most of any state.
This is the 17th infant who has been put in a Safe Haven Baby Box nationwide this year, doubling last year's record-breaking total.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes are temperature-controlled and sound an alarm when an infant is placed inside, alerting firefighters. Once taken out of the box, the baby is checked by medics and taken to a hospital. Newborns who are surrendered in the boxes are usually adopted in about a month.
A new Indiana law streamlines the placement process for surrendered newborns, bypassing the Department of Child Services, custody and foster families. The fire department has a list of adoption agencies to choose from to see the baby gets adopted. The agency vets and picks the parents.
Mothers can also call the national hotline at 866-99BABY1 for help in safely surrendering a newborn. Safe Haven Baby Boxes says more than 9,000 calls have been fielded by operators, leading to the surrender of more than 130 babies.