54th Safe Haven Baby Box To Be Dedicated In Madison Friday

The box will be made available to the public after the community unveiling at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, December 18.

Lawrenceburg Indiana's Baby Box. Photo Taken By Travis Thayer

(Madison, Ind.) – Safe Haven Baby Box has collaborated with King’s Daughters’ Health to provide a Safe Haven Baby Box in Madison.

Safe Haven Baby Box Inc. is a nonprofit founded by firefighter/medic, Monica Kelsey, who was abandoned as an infant. Kelsey is now committed to raising awareness of the Safe Haven Law. Having a Safe Haven Baby Box in the community offers opportunities to further educate and provides a resource that has not been made available in the past.

Madison’s Baby Box is located on 4th Street on the south side of the hospital’s EMS Annex building in downtown Madison. The box will be made available to the public after the community unveiling at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, December 18.

The Madison site is now the 54th Baby Box available in the nation.

The Baby Box allows for a mother to surrender her newborn infant 30 days old or less with 100 percent anonymity. It includes security features, such as heating and cooling components and a sophisticated alarm system.

The box includes a hospital-grade bassinet. Once the infant is placed inside the Baby Box in less than 4 minutes, emergency medical personnel responds to the silent alarm to retrieve the newborn.

While also having the baby boxes, the organization also staffs a 24/7 Safe Haven National Crisis Hotline at 1-(866)992-2291, which offers a parent in crisis counseling and resources as they are considering their options with parenting, adoption, or safe surrender.

“Safe Haven Baby Boxes strives to ensure that no baby is ever abandoned illegally in Indiana again,” states Monica Kelsey. “This Baby Box represents another opportunity to reinforce our nationwide education awareness campaign. I am thankful for all the support from the community of Madison as they join other locations to ensure that parents have this life-saving option.”

To date, ten infants have been placed in Baby Boxes. Nationwide in the last three years, 86 additional surrenders have resulted from parents calling the Safe Haven Baby Boxes National Hotline. Babies surrendered in Indiana under the Safe Haven Law are taking into custody by the Department of Child Services and often placed with their adoptive family within a few months after the surrender.