OCALA, Fla. – Florida has a sixth Safe Haven Baby Box, a last resort option for women who want to anonymously surrender newborns.
Located at 1400 SW 6th Avenue in Ocala, the new location will offer a secure and compassionate option for parents in crisis and help ensure every infant has a chance for a safe and loving future, a news release states.
With the addition of the new location, there will now be 313 Safe Haven Baby Box locations across the country.
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The organization was founded in 2016 by Monica Kelsey who learned in adulthood that she was abandoned as an infant.
Each Baby Box features three silent alarms that will alert first responders to the presence of a surrendered infant. The baby will be attended to within five minutes and taken to the hospital for medical evaluation.
Since 2017, 55 infants have been safely and legally surrendered in a Baby Box. According to the release, surrendered infants are adopted by families who have registered as foster to adopt.
In January 2023, a newborn was surrendered to Florida’s first Safe Haven Baby Box at Ocala Fire Rescue headquarters. The healthy newborn was later adopted by the firefighter who was checking on the climate-controlled box when the alarm went off and discovered the little girl inside with a shoelace tying off her umbilical cord.
In addition to baby boxes, the organization provides a confidential National Hotline, 866-99BABY1.
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