DELHI TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WXIX) – Hamilton County’s first Safe Haven Baby Box was unveiled at a fire station in Delhi Township on Friday.
Township administrators and firefighters held a ceremony at the fire station located at 697 Neeb Road.
Delhi trustees approved the baby box through an emergency resolution at a meeting last year.
The safety device allows mothers in crisis to safely and anonymously abandon newborns under the State of Ohio’s Safe Haven law.
The Safe Haven Baby Box is located in the exterior wall of the fire station.
When the device door is opened and then closed, the outer door automatically locks and firefighters and 911 dispatchers are alerted.
A door on the inner side of the box allows a medical staff member to secure the newborn.
Across the country, 115 babies were handed over through the nationwide Safe Haven Baby Box hotline, according to the Delhi township.
Over the past three years, 14 babies have been put back in baby boxes, officials say.
Delhi’s Safe Haven Baby Box is the first in Hamilton County, fifth in Ohio and 97th in the country, according to Delhi leaders.
“The Municipality is grateful to our generous sponsors who made this a reality. Discount Tire paid for the physical box; Turner Construction covered the installation costs; and Zuber Safety & Security provided the security monitoring equipment,” township officials said in a news release.
There are several in Indiana, including a club that opened last year in Lawrenceburg.
In May, a newborn girl was left in a Safe Haven Baby Box at a fire station in southern Indiana, Clarksville.
The infant spent less than a minute there before a firefighter could attend to her and checked herself into hospital less than half an hour later after firefighters carried out the first health checks.
The Safe Haven Baby Box organization has a 24-hour helpline (1-866-99BABY1) to give someone the option of speaking to a trained professional when considering giving up their baby safely.
Fort Mitchell also unveiled a Safe Haven Baby Box on Friday. The location is at the fire station (2355 Dixie Highway) and the baby box is on the side of the building.
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