The first two Evansville Safe Haven Baby Box locations opened in 2021 at Evansville Fire Department Station 16 and Evansville Fire Department Station 3. Additionally, another Safe Haven Baby Box was installed at Scott Township Fire & Emergency Medical Services Station 2 in early 2024.
According to shbb.org, the Safe Haven Baby Box initiative began in 2016, and since the unveiling of the first box, it has had over 150 legal Safe Haven surrenders. These boxes provide a safe, anonymous option for parents to surrender their infants to prevent illegal abandonment.
The organization was founded in hopes of preventing infant abandonment and ensuring that each child across the United States has a secure start in life.
According to the Indiana Safe Haven Law, a person can surrender their infant without fear of arrest or prosecution.
A Safe Haven location can accept an infant with no questions asked, only if the infant is unharmed and younger than 30 days old. Emergency responders are notified within minutes to retrieve the infant when placed inside one of the alarm-activated and temperature-controlled boxes. Once emergency responders arrive, the infant is transported to a nearby hospital for further evaluation.
Parents in crisis and considering surrendering their infant to a Safe Haven Baby Box are provided with various resources to aid them through the difficult time.
Jen Savage, Safe Haven Baby Box billboard campaign manager, provided information to The Shield regarding resources for parents through an email.
“Mothers (or fathers) can legally and anonymously surrender their infant in a Safe Haven Baby Box and know their child will be received from the box in less than 5 minutes, and that parents identity will never be known, unless they reach out to us,” she said.
Savage said the organization provides additional options for parents depending on their current crisis.
Monica Kelsey, founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, discusses additional resources at Safe Haven Baby Boxes on her TikTok account. A 24/7 Crisis Hotline is displayed on the box, and most Baby Box locations contain a yellow or orange bag with resources for the parent, which are different for each state. Often, the bag contains grief counseling resources, legal and confidentiality reassurance, health care service pamphlets and housing aide/shelter locations.
Upon being released from the hospital, infants surrendered under the Safe Haven Law are placed in the care of the Department of Child Services to begin an adoption process.
For more information regarding pregnancy or recent births, the crisis hotline is 1-866-99BABY1.
A complete list of Safe Haven boxes can be found at shbb.org.