HOLLAND, Ohio — Not all parents are ready to raise a child and soon there will be another way to safely make what may be the best choice for parents and infants in Lucas County.
The Springfield Township Fire Department began installation of its Safe Haven Baby Box on Tuesday.
A Safe Haven Baby Box allows a mother or parent to safely surrender their baby under complete anonymity without facing backlash or legal consequences.
The Ohio Legislature passed the Ohio Safe Haven Law 22 years ago.
It allows a parent to leave an infant of up to 30 days old with a medical worker in a hospital; a medical worker at a fire department or other emergency service organization; or an officer at a law enforcement agency. The law protects the parents of a newborn from prosecution for making that choice.
Inside the baby box is an environmentally controlled bassinet and once the door is opened, a silent alarm will go off, alerting the division.
"Our firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics would respond," Springfield Township Fire Chief Barry Cousino said. "They would evaluate the infant and treat the infant and make sure everything looks good and then transport to a local emergency facility, and childrens services would be contacted and they would handle it from there."
There are currently 142 baby boxes across America, and the goal is to continue decreasing child abandonment.
"Hopefully we don't have any babies surrendered here. It's a wonderful option for parents that really don't know what to do," Cousino said. "And there have been instances in the past where they discard the infant in a situation that's not very pleasant."
Some parents may find themselves unable to care for a child and may feel reluctant to hand over an infant to emergency personnel in person. A baby box offers a safe solution to someone in that situation.
The box is set to be fully functional and available to the public by mid-January and the Springfield Township Fire Department expressed gratitude to the donors who made the installation possible.
Once in operation, the Safe Haven Baby Box will be located at the Springfield Township Fire Station at 802 S. McCord Rd. in Holland, Ohio.
