1st baby of 2023 surrendered safely to baby box in Florida
OCALA, Fla. (WCJB/Gray News) – A healthy newborn baby was surrendered anonymously at a Safe Haven Baby Box location in Florida, making it the 23rd baby to be surrendered to a baby box since the organization’s inception in 2017 and the first of 2023.
This was the first time the baby box at Ocala Fire Rescue has been used.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes was founded by Monica Kelsey, who was abandoned as an infant.
The baby box allows for the safe and anonymous surrender of infants when the mother is in crisis or unable to parent.
It has a heating and cooling element to provide comfort for the baby along with silent alarms to notify first responders.
The newborn is attended to within five minutes, taken to the hospital for evaluation and adopted within 30 to 45 days.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes are currently available in Indiana, Ohio, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Arizona.
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