Pikeville becomes easternmost Kentucky community to open Safe Haven Baby Box

A group of Pikeville organizations are installing a Safe Haven Baby Box for struggling parents in Kentucky’s easternmost communities.

Baby boxes allow those unable to take care of their newborn to anonymously hand the child over without facing any judgment or legal punishment.

It would be the 32nd such box in Kentucky – but they’re mostly located in more urban areas. The closest box to Pikeville is more than 100 miles away in Laurel County.

“When I think about us here in Pikeville, we are in the far-most part of Eastern Kentucky,” Appalachian Pregnancy Care Center Director Kay Hammonds said. “And I know the pregnancy center, we serve 14 surrounding counties. So this is why I'm so thrilled with this baby box.”

Hammonds says these boxes are particularly important for young mothers.

“When these women and these teenagers experience an unplanned pregnancy, there is so much fear, there is so much anxiety, really, of not knowing what to do, because a 13 year old is certainly not able to raise a baby.”

The box is expected to open at the end of the month, after security systems are installed. It will be located at Pikeville Fire Station 3.

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