OWEN COUNTY — Another Indiana county is one step closer to having a Safe Haven Baby Box installed.
County commissioners approved the installation of a box at the Owen County EMS Station in Spencer. The installation is being coordinated by the Owen County Infant Safety Team.
READ | Third infant surrendered in a week under indiana's Safe Haven law
Team members say the Safe Haven Baby Box will cost $15,000 and they've already raised about $5,000 of that through fundraisers.
Safe Haven currently has baby boxes installed in the following areas:
- Woodburn, Indiana
- Chesterton, Indiana
- Michigan City, Indiana
- Carmel, Indiana
- Decatur Township, Indiana
- North Vernon, Indiana
Last year, three infants were surrendered in Safe Haven Baby Boxes in Indiana. Since 2016, Kelsey says there have been 45 "hand-offs" of infants similar to the two this past week.
READ | Newborn surrendered to Decatur Twp. fire station | What happens to Indiana's 'Safe Haven' babies?
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.
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.
