A 1-hour-old baby has been found in a Safe Haven Box at Coolspring Township Volunteer Fire Department in Indiana on Tuesday night.
La Porte County 911 Center received the alarms last Tuesday night just after 10.20 pm and notified the Indiana Department of Children and Family services along with the sheriff’s office. Within a matter of minutes, first responders arrived on the scene.
safehavenbabyboxes.com
Coolspring Township Fire Chief Mick Pawlik was first to arrive quickly followed by an ambulance. Speaking to NBC 5 Pawlik described the moment he arrived on the scene and made the discovery. “I open the door and the baby’s head was right here. I get down here and I’m looking, I’m just staring at the baby, we’re making eye contact.”
The baby still had the umbilical cord attached NBC 5 reports. “The baby was not cleaned up yet. It was still wrapped in a sweatshirt. It was bloodied. But the baby was calm. Calmer than I was, I know that,” Mick Pawlik told reporters.
Mick Pawlik travelled with the new born he now calls ‘Baby Hope’ as they went to Franciscan St. Anthony’s hospital in Michigan City. Police say that the baby seems to be healthy and is doing well.
Mick Pawlik at a press conference. Picture: John J. Watkins, The Times
Speaking about the installation of the box Pawlik said, “When this box was installed, we hoped that it would never be used, yet we’re thankful that it exists for cases just like the one Tuesday night. We are grateful that the mother had this option and made this choice and we remain concerned for her health.”
The Department of Children and Family Services are now handling the case and it is expected that the baby will be put up for adoption.
The Safe Haven baby box is in Indiana is one of two in the entire United States, with the other located in Allen County at the Woodburn Fire Department.
The Safe Haven Boxes are designed to send an alarm signal to 911 as soon as the door is opened and closed. Inside the unit is a fire retardant mat and a climate control system that keeps the temperature between 95 and 101 degrees.
Monica Kelsey. Picture: safehavenbabyboxes.com
The Safe Haven Baby Box creator, Monica Kelsey has made it her mission to educate others on the Safe Haven Law after she herself was abandoned at a hospital when she was just two hours old, back in 1973.
Speaking to nwi.com, Monica Kelsey said: “My heart is full for this little girl that is going to go on with her life. My heart hurts for this mom as well.”
Kelsey said that there have been 6 cases of babies left in its devices this year and thankfully there have been no cases of babies being abandoned illegally in Indiana.
According to its website, http://www.safehavenbabyboxes.com/home.html the Safe Haven Baby Box is a last resort option for women in crisis. Safe Haven Law provides ‘No Shame, No Blame, No Names.’
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