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CONNERSVILLE — Indiana now has 20 Safe Haven Baby Boxes where mothers with no other options can safely, and anonymously, surrender their infants.
A blessing ceremony was held Thursday at Fire Station 4 at 124 South Fountain Street in Connersville.
The Connersville box was the 20th in the state of Indiana and the 24th installed in the United States.
Four babies have been surrendered inside Safe Haven Baby Boxes since the first was installed in 2016. Two other babies have been surrendered at fire stations with Safe Haven Baby Boxes. Nationwide, 60 surrenders have resulted from calls to the Safe Haven Baby Boxes national hotline and 7 of those surrenders in 2019.
The goal of Safe Haven Baby Boxes is to make it so mothers have a safe place to surrender their newborns anonymously.
Baby boxes are safe incubators that have alarm systems, so 911 is notified as soon as a baby is placed inside. The baby boxes also have heating and cooling features.
READ | Newborn surrendered in Safe Haven Baby Box in northern Indiana just 30 says after it opened
Indiana's Safe Haven law allows people to anonymously surrender their healthy infants at any fire station in the state without fear of criminal prosecution.
The Safe Haven Baby Box organization also staffs a 24-hour hotline (1-866-99BABY1), so parents can talk to trained professionals about possibly surrendering their baby. You can also visit the Safe Haven Baby Box website for more information including locations.
LIST | Find a Safe Haven Baby Box Near You
Safe Haven currently has baby boxes installed in the following areas in Indiana:
- Woodburn, Indiana
- Chesterton, Indiana
- Michigan City, Indiana (2)
- Carmel, Indiana
- Decatur Township, Indiana
- North Vernon, Indiana
- Mount Vernon
- Hammond, Indiana
- Seymour, Indiana
- Syracuse, Indiana
- Warsaw, Indiana
- East Chicago, Indiana
- Crown Point, Indiana
- Angola, Indiana
- Fortville, Indiana
- Frankfort, Indiana
- New Haven, Indiana
- Columbia City, Indiana
- Connersville, Indiana
RELATED | Indiana's Safe Haven Baby Boxes are saving — and changing — lives
