SCHERERVILLE, Ind. — An Indiana Safe Haven Baby Box was put to use Tuesday morning, a little over a year after the box opened to the public.
A newborn baby girl was surrendered to a baby box at a fire station in Schererville, a northwestern Indiana town located in Lake County that has a population of about 30,000 people.
(NOTE: The video in the player above is a previous report about what happens to babies after they are surrendered.)
Paramedics checked the newborn and took her to a local hospital for precautionary evaluation, according to the Schererville Fire Department.
"We want the mother involved to know that this infant will be taken care of, will be loved, and will have a great life," the fire department said in a post Tuesday about the baby being surrendered.
She's the sixth baby to be surrendered to a baby box in Indiana this year, and the second in a matter of days.
A healthy baby was surrendered to a Mooresville baby box on July 1, and in a span of two months, Carmel had three babies surrendered to its baby box.
The Mooresville baby box was the 39th Baby Box in the nation, and there are 111 locations in total across the country.
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 the hospital.
Newborns who are surrendered in the boxes are usually adopted in about a month.
For a list of Safe Haven Baby Boxes locations, click here.