BARGERSVILLE, Ind. — Another baby box has been dedicated in central Indiana, giving mothers a place to safely surrender newborn babies to ensure they receive care.
A Safe Haven Baby Box at the Bargersville Fire Station off State Road 135 was blessed on Monday, Feb. 12, marking the 114th box statewide.
The boxes give mothers a chance to safely and legally surrender newborns to fire departments, where firefighters and paramedics can immediately take custody of the child and provide care.
(NOTE: The story in the video player above is from a previous report on what happens after babies are surrendered to Safe Haven Baby Boxes.)
The 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.
Last year, 17 newborns were surrendered in Safe Haven Baby Boxes in Indiana. Last month, a mother left an infant inside the box at the Georgetown Township Fire Protection District in southern Indiana.
More than 40 infants have been safely surrendered in baby boxes since the first surrender in 2017.
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 call the national hotline at 866-99BABY1 for help 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 140 babies.