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Kentucky's eighth Safe Haven Baby Box blessed in Portland neighborhood

The box gives mothers who wish to surrender their child a safe way to do so. It notifies first responders in minutes of a surrendered infant.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Editor's Note: Above video is from July 2021 when the first Baby Box was opened in Louisville's Okolona neighborhood.

Louisville is now home to Kentucky's eighth Safe Haven Baby Box, the 105th in the entire United States. It is located at Louisville Fire Department's Engine Co. No. 6 in the Portland neighborhood. 

The Baby Box is a device that allows mothers who wish to give up their babies an opportunity to do so safely and without judgment.

The device features a heating/cooling system and a silent alarm system that notifies first responders of a surrendered infant. 

According to a press release, the organization said that infants are attended to "within five minutes, medically evaluated and adopted by their forever family within 30-45 days."

Louisville Fire Chief Greg Frederick said it's a firefighter's job to "mitigate emergencies."

"They provide comfort, dignity and protection through professional care to the most vulnerable," Frederick said. "The baby-box is another tool in their toolbox to adequately care for a mother and child in a crisis situation."

Founder of Safe Haven Baby Box, Monica Kelsey, attended the blessing of Louisville's newest Baby Box on March 16.

"We have seen how providing anonymity and a safe location for a mother to surrender her infant saves lives," she said. "We are so grateful that Louisville has stepped up to protect the vulnerable in their community."

The organization said that in the last three years 15 infants have been placed in a Baby Box. Safe Haven Baby Boxes can be found in Indiana, Ohio, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky and New Mexico.

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