It’s the 395th box in the United States from the Safe Haven organization, whose founder, Monica Kelsey, said had helped 71 newborns. The Hamilton baby box is the first in Butler County.
She said while Ohio’s law gives mothers the option to surrender a newborn 30 days or younger to law enforcement, hospitals or an emergency service organization, such as a fire department.
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
“What we’re doing here today is giving a last-resort option for parents if they can’t walk into this facility and hand their child to a person,” Kelsey said.
Every state has some form of a Safe Haven law. In Ohio, the law was enacted about 25 years ago. In 2017, the state amended its Safe Haven laws to include newborn safety incubators, which Kelsey said now gives mothers “100% anonymity if they so choose.”
The baby boxes are regulated by the state, and each location must be registered through the Ohio Department of Health. Registrations must be renewed every three years.
While Safe Haven Baby Boxes is an organization working to install these newborn safety incubators, it is not the only company that can do so, according to the Ohio Department of Health.
Ohio Department of Health spokesman Ken Gordon said there are 20 newborn safety incubators registered in Ohio, though the department does not track the manufacturer, only that they’re installed. The department also does not track how many babies have been delivered to an NSI.
Gordon said there are two steps that require registration. Individuals who plan to install a box need to register with the Ohio Department of Health prior to the installation. In addition, each law enforcement agency, hospital, or emergency medical service that has an NSI must register prior to the device being used.
More information on state requirements and registration forms can be found at odh.ohio.gov.
Thus far, according to media reports and Kelsey, two babies have been surrendered in Ohio through a Safe Haven Baby Box.
One baby was surrendered in December at Lebanon Fire Station on North Broadway. A few months ago, a baby was surrendered at the box at the Union Twp. fire station in Clermont County, according to local media reports.
Mayor Pat Moeller called it “a great project,” which the results “puts the child and the mother both in a better place.”
“This project reflects the heart and beliefs of all the people who put this together,” he said.
Hamilton City Councilmember Michael Ryan said this box is the “opening of a door. A door to life, to love and a hopeful future.”
“It represents compassion, care and our shared commitment to protecting the most vulnerable among us,” he said. “It’s a promise that in Butler County and in Hamilton, we will always be a voice for the voiceless.”
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
Credit: Michael D. Pitman
The newborn is eventually placed with a public children’s services agency, such as Butler County Children Services. Expectations are outlined in the Ohio Revised Code and the Ohio Administrative Code once they take custody of the child.
"Giving parents a chance to safely surrender a child to allow for others to take care of the child is the goal of the newborn safety incubators,“ said Jodi Trimble, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Children and Youth. ”The incubators provide a way for parents to surrender an infant safely while promoting anonymity the statute requires."
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