Yet another baby was surrendered in “Baby Box” in Benton, Arkansas

Scroll down to read about the process, and see list of Baby Box locations in Arkansas.

Another baby was surrendered to a Safe Haven Baby Box in Benton, Arkansas on Tuesday, May 30th at 5:23 p.m. This is the third time a parent has used the Baby Box at Benton Fire Station #3 since it was installed in September 2019. Nationwide, 31 babies have been surrendered to local first responders in this way this year.

Safe Haven Baby Boxes is the only organization that allows for complete anonymous surrender. The company says it is changing lives and protecting babies from abandonment, and there have been a record ten babies surrendered so far this year.

Scroll down to read about the process, and see list of Baby Box locations in Arkansas.

Monica Kelsey, founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes stated, “Arkansas has 15 Baby Boxes and is one of the states leading the nation in being prepared for an anonymous surrender. We are pleased this mother trusted us to help her in her moment of crisis. We know she loves her baby and know there is an adoptive family who has been eagerly awaiting this blessing.”

For any parent who may be in the difficult situation of considering surrendering their baby, we have listed the Arkansas Baby Box locations below, along with a description of the process:

When a parent opens the door, they place the baby inside, in a bassinette. When the door is closed, it locks from the outside. First responders are immediately alerted and will open the clear, vented door on the other side, inside the fire station. It is from inside the station that trained personnel will retrieve the bassinette and take the child to the emergency room.

Chief Russell Evans stated at a press conference on Thursday afternoon that in this most recent surrender, the fire station was notified that a baby had been surrendered and “within a minute, personnel at Station #3 were with that baby and had that baby in their arms.”

The typical process in central Arkansas after the emergency room is for Arkansas Children’s Hospital to conduct a medical checkup and observe the child for a few days. The Arkansas Department of Human Services also immediately goes to work to find the child an adoptive family.

Scroll down to see list of Baby Box locations in Arkansas.

Safe Haven Baby Boxes are a place to allow a mother to surrender an infant, that is heated and cooled and has a silent alarm that trips. When a newborn is placed in the box, emergency personnel are notified within 30 seconds. The child will be picked up by first responders within 3 to 5 minutes. The box is meant to be a last-resort option for women in crisis.

So the chain of events goes like this: First, there is a silent alarm that sends word to dispatch, who then notifies first responders. Locally, that means the Benton Fire and Police Departments, along with Pafford Ambulance. Chief Evans said they follow the standard operating procedure set forth by the Safe Haven Baby Box law.

The Arkansas Safe Haven law (A.C.A. § 9-34-201) allows a parent to bring a child, 30 days old or younger to an employee at any hospital emergency room, manned fire station or law enforcement agency without facing prosecution for endangering or abandoning a child. A parent can also use a safety device (Baby Box) that is installed in the exterior wall of a fire station or hospital to ensure 100% anonymity for the parent. Once a baby is surrendered, the Arkansas Department of Human Services will facilitate an adoption for the baby to be placed in a permanent and loving home.

Whichever first responder first removes the child from the box, that person is responsible for the custody of the baby until they know it is in the hands of the Department of Human Services (DHS).

It’s important to know that there is no video taken of the person dropping off the baby. This is so that people know that they will be kept anonymous. The priority is to make sure the baby stays safe and isn’t dropped off in an environment where they are at risk.