New Safe Haven Baby Box opens in Greenfield

GREENFIELD — The City of Greenfield opened their very first Safe Haven Baby Box over the weekend.

The baby box is located at 210 W. New Rd., which is the Greenfield Fire Territory Station No. 422.

The dedication was on Feb. 18 and included a blessing along with a speech from Mayor Chuck Fewell.

The baby box was made possible through a partnership between the Life Choices Care Center and the family of a local hospital employee. Together they worked to raise more than $20,000 for the installation of the box.

The box is dedicated to Trisha Dillman, a Greenfield resident who spent 25 years as a NICU nurse before dying from COVID in January 2022.

Dillman loved working with babies and mothers. Her family says the box will be a way to keep her legacy alive.

Since 2017, 21 babies have been surrendered in baby boxes in Indiana. There are now 26 boxes statewide and 134 nationwide.

What is a Safe Haven Baby Box?

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 | Meet Grace: One of Indiana's Safe Haven babies

Once the infant is collected by first responders, they're taken to the nearest medical facility to be evaluated.

Infants surrendered under Indiana's Safe Haven Law are placed in the custody of the state's Department of Child Services after they are released from the hospital. The process then begins to find an adoptive family within 30-45 days

SHBB staffs a 24-hour Safe Haven hotline (1-866-99BABY1), so parents can talk to trained professionals and get more information about their options for surrendering or how to get assistance to help them be able to care for their child.

The SHBB hotline is staffed by licensed counselors.