Kentucky’s 17th Baby Box placed in SEKY

CORBIN, Ky. (WKYT) - A new program just launched in one southern Kentucky city to help parents and infants.

It’s called a Save Haven Baby Box. It’s where parents can anonymously leave babies in safe places if they don’t know how they are going to care for them.

There are 147 Baby Boxes nationwide, and Kentucky’s 17th baby box has been placed in Corbin.

It’s about being a last resort option for parents in crisis.

“So be proud that you guys are being proactive in this approach to infant abandonment,” said Save Haven Baby Boxes founder Monica Kelsey.

Kelsey travels the country to introduce Safe Haven Baby Boxes. It’s a place where parents can leave babies, no questions asked, without fear of prosecution if they no longer want to care for them.

The Corbin box is located at the city Fire Department next to City Hall on Main Street. Parents simply have to open the door and place the baby inside, where they will be in a climate-controlled environment.

CHI St. Joseph London got involved in the project to install a Baby Box in Corbin because of the high number of child abuse cases in the area.

“I discovered Safe Haven Baby Boxes and thought this would be an excellent opportunity for a family to safely surrender an infant,” said CHI St. Joseph Health London Violence Prevention Coordinator Mollie Harris.

After a baby is placed inside, the alarm will go off inside the box for about one minute a call goes to 911 as well. Officials say the longest a baby has stayed inside before a response was about 4 minutes, and the shortest time was 30 seconds.

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