LOUISVILLE, Ky. — On Thursday, Kentucky’s first Safe Haven Baby Box was unveiled at Okolona Fire District Station #1 in Louisville. In March, House Bill 155 was signed into law, which allows parents to legally, safely and anonymously surrender their newborn baby in a newborn safety device, also known as a baby box. 

“She’s beautiful. She’s smart. She makes us laugh every day, and we just love her so much,” said Tessa Higgs about her 2-year-old daughter Magnolia.

Magnolia Higgs is reunited and held by a firefighter who was on duty at the fire station in Northern Indiana when she was surrendered by her biological mother in February 2019. (Tessa Higgs)

In February 2019, Higgs and her husband adopted Magnolia. She was surrendered by her biological mom after she called Safe Haven Baby Boxes, a nonprofit that offers a 24-hour anonymous hotline for mothers in crisis.

“So she agreed to meet EMS and just first responders to surrender her in-person,” Higgs told Spectrum News 1.

The exchange happened in person because Higgs said there wasn’t a baby box near where the anonymous mother lived in Indiana.

“We’re very fortunate she did that because many women are not brave enough to be able to show their face in-person. That’s what the great part is about Safe Haven Baby Box, is giving women 100% anonymity,” Higgs said.

Now, Kentucky offers that safe space at Okolona Fire District Station #1 in Louisville. It’s the first location in Kentucky to have a Safe Haven Baby Box, also called a baby box, where a parent can legally, safely, securely and anonymously surrender a newborn baby who is less than 30 days old. 

“Kentucky now joins seven other states with updated Safe Haven laws, and the Okolona Fire Protection District is very proud and honored to be the first in Kentucky to do this,” Okolona Fire Protection District’s Chief Mark Little said Thursday during an unveiling ceremony.

The baby box has a dual silent alarm system to notify personnel when the baby box is opened and a baby is placed inside. When the parent shuts the door on the outside it automatically locks so only designated personnel from inside the building can secure the newborn.

Magnolia Higgs wrapped in the same blanket she was in when her biological mother surrendered her at a fire station in Northern Indiana after calling Safe Haven Baby Boxes' hotline. All Safe Haven Baby Boxes come with a blanket inside that stays with the surrendered baby. (Tessa Higgs)

“And they place the baby in the back of an ambulance, take the baby to the closest facility, which would be the hospital, and then place the baby with the Department of Child Services so they can find a forever home for this baby,” explained Monica Kelsey, who was motivated to start the nonprofit Safe Haven Baby Boxes because she was abandoned as an infant. 

“So I stand on the front lines of this movement today making sure that no child is ever placed in an unsafe place, and that every mother has every option available to her so that she can choose a safe alternative, instead of the dumpster. And we all know those stories,” Kelsey said.

The Safe Haven Baby Box at Okolona Fire District Station #1 may be the first of its kind in Kentucky, but it’s the 74th baby box in the nation.

Kelsey said 12 babies have been surrendered since the first baby box was installed in 2016. In addition, according to Safe Haven Baby Box’s website, two babies have also been surrendered at fire stations with Safe Haven Baby Boxes. Plus, nearly 100 babies have been surrendered because of calls made to the Safe Haven Baby Boxes national hotline.

The law states that a parent surrendering a baby inside a newborn safety device “shall have the right to remain anonymous, shall not be pursued, and shall not be considered to have abandoned or endangered a newborn infant.”

Okolona Fire District Station #1 is located at 8501 Preston Highway, Louisville, Kentucky 40219.

Safe Haven Baby Boxes has a 24/7 national hotline, which provides for mothers-in-crisis to speak to a crisis counselor to provide access to resources that provide the mother-in-crisis the necessary information to make the right choice for her infant. The number is 1-866-992-2291 (1866-99BABY1). To learn more about Safe Haven Baby Boxes, visit its website.