'A second chance at life': Beech Grove installs its first baby box for mothers in crisis
The City of Beech Grove unveiled Indiana's 104th Safe Haven Baby Box at Beech Grove EMS, 1202 Albany St., which allows mothers to anonymously surrender a newborn infant without fear of arrest or prosecution thanks to the state's Safe Haven Law.
According to the law, healthy infants under 30 days of age can be surrendered to first responders. No information is required from the person who leaves the baby. The Indiana Department of Child Services will take the infant into custody after a medical examination and place the child with a caregiver.
"We're glad to have the box here," said Robert Cheshire, City of Beech Grove EMS Director. "This gives more options to people living on the southeast side of the city."
The nearest baby box outside of Beech Grove, Cheshire said, is more than 10 miles away in Decatur Township. Other baby boxes can be found at fire stations in Wayne Township and Carmel.
Baby boxes: What happens when a mother surrenders an infant?
At Beech Grove EMS, there are no cameras to record a mother who surrenders her infant, officials explained. The baby box has three silent alarms alerting first responders that an infant has been surrendered. The boxes are climate-controlled to ensure the child's safety.
After a mother places an infant inside the baby box, the doors lock. Within five minutes, the baby will be attended to and taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes was founded in 2016 by Monica Kelsey who learned in adulthood she was abandoned as an infant, a news release stated. The organization provides free confidential counseling to mothers at their hotline: 1-866-99BABY1.
“Our home state of Indiana has proved that safe anonymous surrender can change lives and end abandonment," Kelsey said in a news release. "Welcome, Beech Grove, to the communities leading the charge at protecting vulnerable members of their community.”
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Beech Grove Mayor Dennis Buckley said installing a Safe Haven Baby Box in the city has been in the works for years, but finally became a reality thanks to funds from the American Rescue Plan.
"I'm happy we have it," Buckley said. "I hope it's not used, but if it is used maybe it will give someone a second chance at life."
A news release stated that 14 surrenders have occurred at Safe Haven Baby Boxes so far in 2023.
Where are baby boxes located?
As of September 2023, Safe Haven Baby Boxes are available in Indiana, Ohio, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Missouri and Mississippi.
A full list of Indiana's Safe Haven baby boxes can be found online at shbb.org.
Safe haven baby boxes: What to know about surrendering infants in Indiana
John Tufts covers evening breaking and trending news for the Indianapolis Star. Send him a news tip at JTufts@Gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Beech Grove installs Safe Haven Baby Box for mothers in crisis
