‘Safe haven’ for newborns installed at Penn Highlands State College

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WTAJ) — A local hospital has added a resource to help new parents who were not expecting a pregnancy or those that suddenly find themselves in a position where they’re unable to care for their newborn.

A Safe Haven Baby Box has been implemented at the new Penn Highlands State College . It can be located around the corner of the ambulance bay attached the hospital’s emergency department. This box is one of only two in the state , with the other being located at Lancaster General Hospital.

The goal of the baby box is to prevent the illegal abandonment of newborns by offering parents in crisis a safe place to anonymously surrender their infant as a last resort option.

“So we want to give even the tiniest humans a great start to a beginning of a life,” Danielle Berg, Director of Nursing at Penn Highlands State College, said.

A newborn up to 14 days old can be placed inside of the box and once it closes, it locks, keeping the baby safe from anyone outside. Immediately upon the box being closed, an alarm will go off inside the hospital, signaling to nurses and doctors that a baby is inside.

They will remove the baby from the box and give it a full medical check-up, provide any necessary treatment and contact Children and Youth to take custody of the baby and begin adoption proceedings.

The surrendering parent will not be identified and will not be contacted.

“They know that their identity is going to be kept up, that they can drop it off, they can feel safe then that baby is going to be taken care of,” Berg said.

Leah Raker, Director of Centre County Children & Youth , hopes that if nothing else, this baby box will help raise awareness of the rights of parents and resources available to parents in crisis.

“I don’t necessarily know if everybody in the community is always aware of the fact that safe haven laws exist, and that there are those options for parents who are maybe unsure that they’re able to take care of their infant or weren’t prepared for a pregnancy, that there are ways that they can safely surrender their baby without fear of prosecution and can make sure that that child is cared for,” Raker said.

In Pennsylvania, the Safe Haven law allow for parents to bring their newborn, up to 28 days old, to any hospital, a police officer at a police station or an emergency services provider at any EMS station and through a baby box. These parents will not be prosecuted as long as the baby has not been harmed. Pa. is one of only 18 states that allows for babies to be surrendered through the use of a baby box.

“Being able to have that box, that’s another readily available resource that allows a child to be surrendered safely and ensure that that child is cared for,” Raker said.

Since 2003 when Safe Haven laws were enacted in Pennsylvania, over 50 babies were safely relinquished and adopted .

The boxes are designed to not only keep babies safe, but to try to keep parents safe as well, which is why on the outside of every box is a crisis phone number for parents to call: 1-866-99BABY1.

Because making the decision to surrender a baby can be difficult, in the event that a parent changes their mind, they have the option of going into the hospital to get their baby back and get connected with resources to help them be successful parent.

"If a mom would surrender her child and then would change her mind, we would likely be contacted just to help assess kind of what's happening for mom and looking at what other resources are available," Raker said. "What support does she need? Maybe it is an issue of she wasn't prepared. Does it have everything she needs? Is she concerned about being able to care for a child on her own? So we would be looking at what services and supports could we do and are we okay and feeling safe with that child going back home to that environment."

Raker added that there are resources available through Children & Youth for a parent to a child of any age that is need of support.

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The baby box will officially go into operation July 18 when the hospital and its emergency department fully opens.

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