RILEY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – A program that allows a mother to safely and anonymously surrender her baby continues to expand.
A new Safe Haven Baby Box was blessed Monday at the Riley Fire Department, located on State Road 159 in Riley.
When a baby is placed in the box, it sets off an alarm notifying the firefighters, as well as dispatch so paramedics can arrive.
While there are other Safe Haven Baby Boxes in the Wabash Valley, officials say it’s important to make sure this resource is accessible.
“It’s important because it gives mothers an anonymous option for them to surrender their infant and we still have the Safe Haven Law, so they can still come in and hand-surrender their infant to a person if they choose to, but it’s important to give them that other option,” said Jessi Getrost, the Executive Assistant for Safe Haven Baby Boxes.
The Safe Haven Baby Box at the Riley Fire Department is the 139th in the state of Indiana and the 275th location in the United States.
