Chuck Seaver, South Lake Tablet
The Live Well Foundation of South Lake joined the caring efforts of the City of Groveland and Clermont Fire Departments on Monday evening, February 2nd, at the City of Groveland Council meeting. A grant in the amount of $250,000.00 was awarded to the two departments to fund the purchase and installment of “Safe Haven” boxes, one in each of the respective fire department’s fire stations.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes is a non-profit organization that provides a safe and legal alternative to abandoning newborn babies. The organization, founded in 2015, installs specialized baby boxes at designated secure locations where parents can anonymously and safely surrender their newborns, ensuring the child’s well-being and reducing the risk of harm or abandonment of the baby.
The climate-controlled boxes are typically installed at hospitals, fire and police stations or other safe places that are staffed 24/7. The boxes are electronically monitored to minimize time alone for the baby while awaiting trained personnel assistance. The havens maintain a constant temperature conducive to a newborn’s body temperature needs.
The box’s interior resembles a bassinet, and it is designed to be easily accessible outside while keeping the baby secure inside. When a parent opens the baby box, it triggers an alarm that alerts staff inside the haven location. Another sensor is activated once the baby is placed inside. The person surrendering the baby can push a button or close the door, which triggers a third alarm. The baby receives immediate medical attention once retrieved from the box. The baby is then placed in the care of child protective services.
Although the boxes are not without criticisms from some organizations and cultures, the alternative means of transferring a newborn sometimes have horrible consequences. Clermont Fire Chief David Ezell recalls one such incident in south central Florida where a newborn baby was abandoned at a fire station, outside a public entryway door to the station that is not used by after-hours personnel. “It was a very cold night, and no one knew that the baby had been left at the door in a baby carrier. Unfortunately, no one found the baby until the next morning. By that time, the child had succumbed to the harsh cold and was found deceased in the carrier that it was left in at the door,” says Chief Ezell.
Chief Ezell states that the Safe Haven boxes will be installed over time at each of the City of Clermont’s five fire stations. “The first fire station to accommodate the box will be the Hartwood Marsh station when the building is renovated later this year,” says Chief Ezell. The other four stations will be retrofitted with the boxes as station building upgrades are completed. All the city’s future fire stations will also be equipped with the boxes as the stations are added over time.
The Groveland Fire Department will also be adding a Safe Haven box to each of its three fire stations with the first being installed at the brand-new station, currently under construction, on South O’Brien Road near the Ford Commerce Park on State Road 19. Groveland Fire Chief Kevin Carroll was unavailable for comment.
The Live Well Foundation of South Lake is a private foundation that strives to enhance the health and wellness of the people in South Lake County today and for generations to come. Visit www.lwfsl.com for a full listing of grant opportunities, health-related referral sources and much more.
Visit www.shbb.org for further information on the Safe Haven Baby Boxes, including ways to obtain a box, resources for parents in crisis and a staffed, 24/7 crisis hotline for immediate help. Or you can call/ text 1-866-99BABY1.
