Newborn surrendered in Safe Haven Baby Box in Bowling Green for first time in Kentucky

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - The first Safe Haven Baby Box was utilized in Kentucky this week.

A newborn was surrendered at the Bowling Green Fire Department.

The baby is safe and healthy.

This is the 24th time a baby has been surrendered in a Safe Haven Baby Box across the country and the first in the commonwealth.

There are 16 Safe Haven Baby Boxes in Kentucky but the one in Bowling Green hasn’t even been open for two months.

Within the last seven days, Safe Haven Baby Box Co-Founder Monica Kelsey said the box got a blessing.

“This baby is healthy,” Kelsey said. “This baby is beautiful. This baby is perfect and the Department of Child Services is now looking for a forever home for this baby.”

After the baby was placed in the climate controlled box, it was safely removed within a minute and a half.

Kelsey said it is now in good hands.

“This child that was surrendered here was not abandoned,” Kelsey said. “This child was legally, anonymously, safely and lovingly placed inside of this Safe Haven Baby Box. And that speaks volumes about the parent.”

A few years ago, Kelsey said the Bowling Green Fire Department had a baby dropped off at the door of a safe haven location and not a baby box.

The new method of transferring hands using the baby box has proven to be a much safer option.

“This box worked exactly as it was designed to,” Kelsey said. “The fire department did exactly what they were trained to do and it worked flawlessly.”

Next, the child awaits a new and safe home. A love that couldn’t have happened without the decision made by the parents of the baby.

“Thank you for keeping your child safe,” Kelsey said. “Thank you for bringing your child to a location where you knew this child would be taken care of. And thank you for doing what you felt you could for the life of this child.”

Kelsey asks for any parents needing resources to reach out to them and use their 24 hour hotline before surrendering a newborn to the baby box.

They want that to be a last resort.

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