Newborn surrendered at fire station, home to Kentucky’s first Safe Haven Baby Box
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE/Gray News) – An infant was recently surrendered to the first Safe Haven Baby Box installed in Kentucky.
Officials with Okolona Fire Station #1 said the baby was surrendered on Tuesday night around 9 p.m. The baby has been reported safe and healthy.
Okolona Fire Station #1 was the first Baby Box location in Kentucky and was first presented in July 2021.
The baby was the second surrendered in Kentucky in 2023. So far this year, 11 total babies have been surrendered through the Baby Box program.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes allow women to surrender newborns in crisis circumstances without consequence.
The Baby Box has heating and cooling elements to provide comfort for the infant, along with silent alarms to notify first responders.
The newborn is attended to within five minutes, medically evaluated at the hospital and adopted within 30 to 45 days.
There are 151 Baby Boxes across the United States located in Indiana, Arkansas, Ohio, Kentucky, Florida, New Mexico, Tennessee, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
If you need help finding a Safe Haven location or would like to speak to a licensed counselor, call the National Safe Haven crisis hotline at 1-866-99BABY1.
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