The first Safe Haven Baby Box in Tennessee has been installed at a Knoxville fire station. A blessing ceremony for the new community resource was held on Friday.
The blessing ceremony for the state’s first Safe Haven Baby Box in Tennessee, has just wrapped up. This new community resource is at KFD’s station #17 on Western Ave. pic.twitter.com/LxlmREG1UY
— City of Knoxville (@CityKnoxvilleTN) February 17, 2023
Located at Knoxville Fire Station #17 on Western Ave, 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.”
Under the Tennessee Safe Haven Law, mothers of newborns are legally allowed to surrender unharmed babies to designated facilities within two weeks of birth without fear of being prosecuted. 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.
“Many mothers-in-crisis want and need anonymity when surrendering an infant, due either to fear of recognition, the stigma associated with surrendering a child, or fear of prosecution due to ignorance and/or misunderstanding of the Safe Haven law,” the Safe Haven Baby Boxes organization explains on its website.
Using the Safe Haven Baby Box, mothers are protected from being seen and face no face-to-face interactions during the surrender process.
The box is installed in an exterior wall of the Knoxville fire station with an exterior door that automatically locks upon placement of a newborn inside the box. There is also an interior door which allows a fire department staff member to secure the surrendered newborn from inside the box.
Fire department staff will care for the child until personnel with the Department of Children’s Services arrive.
Mark Wilbanks with the Knoxville Fire Department called the Safe Haven Baby Box a “resource” and “extremely safe piece of apparatus” to the Knoxville community.
“We’re very thankful to have this as a resource to someone who may be in crisis and not know what to do with their child,” Wilbanks stated.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Safe Haven Baby Box” by City of Knoxville.
