Infant Surrendered to Ohio Safe Haven Baby Box

A newborn baby was placed in the care of a Safe Haven Baby Box at a fire station in Clermont County, Ohio.

“The circumstances surrounding the surrender to Union Township — we do notWe need to keep this as quiet as possible,” said Monica Kelsey, founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, according to Local12.

Kelsey said the baby was returned to the Union Township fire station several months ago. Fire Chief Austin Clements told local media that the baby is healthy and that he is grateful the community has a resource for struggling mothers.

“Clements said the fire department followed procedure and turned the matter over to the Department of Family Services. Out of respect for privacy, they cannot discuss the details of the outcome. However, Kelsey says all babies from their program were adopted,” according to the report.

Baby boxes were created to deter parents from abandoning their newborns in unsafe conditions, potentially leaving them to die. Baby boxes are temperature-controlled incubators, often built into the exterior walls of fire stations, police stations and hospitals, accessible from the inside. At-risk mothers can place their newborns indoors safely and legally. Once the baby is inside the stall, the exterior door locks and the mother has time to exit before an alarm goes off to alert first responders or hospital staff to the child’s presence.

The baby is then quickly removed and sent to the hospital for a check-up. From there, the child is usually placed in state custody and is often adopted quickly.