Safe Haven Baby Box opens at MercyOne Des Moines, second box in Iowa

DES MOINES, Iowa — Starting Tuesday, expecting parents in crisis have yet another option as MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center officially opened its Safe Haven Baby Box.

The Safe Haven box is now the second box to be opened in Iowa, with the first opening nearly a year ago at the Fort Dodge Fire Department.

The Safe Haven Act is a law that allows parents to leave an infant up to 90-days-old at a hospital, fire station, health care facility, or adoption agency without fear of prosecution. The boxes offer a safe and anonymous alternative to surrendering an infant for parents in crisis.

On Tuesday, members from MercyOne and Safe Haven were on hand to bless the new baby box and share about the inspiration behind them.

“Monika Kelsie started Safe Haven Baby Boxes after learning she was abandoned as an infant, and after seeing a baby box in operation at a church in Cape Town, South Africa, she has made it her personal mission to educate others on the Safe Haven law and to do whatever it takes to save the lives of innocent babies from being abandoned,” said Mariah Betts, assistant project coordinator for Safe Haven Baby Boxes.

Betts also stated that the box at MercyOne offers no shame, no blame, and no names.

Dr. Jessica Oscar Reid, the medical director of Women and Children’s Services at MercyOne Children’s Hospital, said the baby box helps to further the mission of the hospital.

“Our mission here at MercyOne and MercyOne Children’s is to assure that we are caring for families who are in need and assuring that children, especially our youngest and most fragile, are protected,” she said.

Since the Safe Haven law was enacted in Iowa in 2002 more than 60 children have been declared safe havens.

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