The door to the baby box may be accessed from the outside of the building at the Washington County Ambulance Building.
More photos below story.
By Jerry Curry, Staff Writer
Many have heard of a Safe Haven Baby Box, but few may realize that Salem has its own.
The baby box was the brainchild of Monica Kelsey. She first saw the idea at a church in Cape Town, South Africa. She has made it her mission to get these placed in all 50 states. To date, the baby boxes are in use in 19 states.
Kelsey’s passion is fired by the fact that she was abandoned as a baby. Indiana Safe Haven Law enables a person to give up an unwanted infant anonymously without fear of arrest or prosecution. As long as there are no signs of intentional abuse on the baby, no information is required of the person leaving a baby.
The baby in Indiana must be no older than 30 days. States vary on this maximum age from 72 hours to 90 days old.
The box in Salem is located at the Washington County Ambulance Service (WCAS), 1013 Webb Street, where it is mounted on the outside of the building.
There are 134 Safe Haven Boxes in Indiana. The box is climate controlled and has several alarms, according to Mike Spurgeon, assistant director of WCAS. The director of the ambulance service is Tony Floyd.
The box is tested once a week and cleaned as needed. This is required by Indiana code 1C 31-34-2.5. Emergency custody of certain abandoned children is also covered by this code.
The baby box in Salem was installed in April of 2022. Spurgeon said, “It has not been used”.
The purpose of these boxes is for a mother who may be overwhelmed by her circumstances to place the baby in the box in a safe environment.
An alarm is on a 90-second delay, giving the mother or whoever opened the door of the box time to leave and remain anonymous.
The alarm sounds and dispatch is also notified that a baby is in the box. The child is removed by emergency personnel through the plexiglas door inside the building.
This Safe Haven Box is available 24 hours/7 days a week.
There is an orange plastic bag in the baby box that contains an optional form that the person surrendering the baby can fill it out. There is a line for the mother’s and father’s names. There is also a place to record the child’s birthday and any conditions that rescuers should be aware of. This form can be mailed in.
After the baby is surrendered, he/she is examined and given medical treatment, if needed. The Indiana Department of Child Services will take the baby into custody through Child Protective Services or a Licensed Child Placing Agency (LCPA) where it will be placed with a caregiver.
The box in Salem is dedicated to Cairo Jordan, who’s name was unknown at the time the box was installed.
The national headquarters for Safe Haven Baby Boxes is in Woodburn, Indiana. They are located northwest of Fort Wayne, where the boxes are manufactured.
So far, fifty babies have been placed in these boxes, and a total of 150 babies surrendered in the 19 states that have this program.
The box costs $15,000, plus there is a $500 annual use fee. It may cost in the neighborhood of $5,000 to $7,000 for installations, alarms, permits, and electrical hookups. The box can be picked up at the factory to save shipping fees.
The program is supported completely by private funding.
A national crisis number, 1-886-99BABY1 (1-866-992-2291), is available to distraught mothers. It is available 24/7.
Contributions to the program can be sent to SHBB, P.O. Box 185, Woodburn, IN. 46797.
Staff photos by Jerry Curry.
Instructions for using the box are posted near the entry door to the baby box.
This photo shows the interior of the baby box.
The Washington Co. Ambulance Service is located at 1013 Webb St., Salem.