The ninth Safe Haven Baby Box in the state of Tennessee opened in Springfield on Thursday.
Located at Springfield Fire Station #2 on Bradley Drive, the Safe Haven Baby Box is a resource for mothers in crisis to “safely, securely, and anonymously surrender if they are unable to care for their newborn.”
Springfield’s new Safe Haven Baby Box is one of 237 locations nationwide.
The City of Springfield gathered with Safe Haven Baby Boxes and community members to unveil the city’s first Safe Haven Baby Box at Fire Station 2, 1005 Bradley Drive.
Read the full news release: https://t.co/udWfK3p4ye pic.twitter.com/uWaYGFSv8i
— City of Springfield, TN (@springfield_tn) June 13, 2024
Silvanna Francescutti advocated for the town’s new resource for “parents in crisis,” which was supported by donations from Open Door Pregnancy Center, Taylor and Robert Dorris from Willow Springs Electric, and other private donors.
“The Safe Haven Baby Box at Fire Station 2 provides a safe, anonymous option for parents in crisis, reinforcing our commitment to saving lives and supporting our community. We are proud to be part of this initiative and deeply grateful to those who made this possible, especially Silvanna Francescutti and Safe Haven Baby Box,” Springfield Fire Chief Jeff Glodoski said in a statement.
Springfield’s new Baby Box opened just days after the state’s eighth Baby Box opened in Oak Ridge at the Oak Ridge Fire Department’s Station 3 on Tuskegee Dr.
Oak Ridge’s new Baby Box was opened in honor of Baby Wyatt, an unidentified newborn whose body was found wrapped in a T-shirt along the banks of Melton Hill Lake in 2020.
The first Baby Box in Tennessee opened at Knoxville Fire Station #17 on Western Ave in February 2023.
Mothers of newborns are legally allowed to surrender unharmed babies to designated facilities within two weeks of birth without fear of being prosecuted under the Tennessee Safe Haven Law.
As long as the baby is unharmed and the child is surrendered within two weeks of birth, the mother – or parents – will not be prosecuted and is assured of complete confidentiality.
The Tennessee Safe Haven Law took effect in 2001.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
