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Safe Haven Baby Boxes blesses 112th box in Indiana, 191st overall

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Posted at 2:01 PM, Dec 28, 2023
and last updated 2023-12-28 17:33:01-05

LAWRENCE — Safe Haven Baby Boxes blessed their 191st total location on Thursday and 112th location in Indiana on Thursday.

Located at the Lawrence Fire Department in the 4400 block of McCoy Street in Lawrence, the baby box provides new parents another option.

READ | Behind the Box: A mother's story of surrendering her infant out of love

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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.

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.

Safe Haven Hotline

The boxes make the news, but the Safe Haven Hotline is where most of these journeys begin.

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.