A baby girl was left in a Safe Haven Baby Box on Tuesday night at Okolona Fire Station One in Louisville, Kentucky, WLKY reported.
“It’s the first time a baby has been left in one of the boxes in Louisville and the second time in Kentucky,” according to the report.
Okolona Fire Department Chief Mark Little said the newborn appeared to be healthy and was taken to the hospital.
“I would like to stress to the mother that, should she need medical attention, to please seek that and if she needs any other type of assistance, please reach out and get that assistance,” Little said.
Kentucky state lawmakers passed a law in 2021 allowing parents to anonymously leave their newborns in Baby Boxes, which are installed in a wall where the public can access it from one side and first responders on the other side, like at a hospital or fire station. The public-facing door locks from the outside once a baby is placed inside and an alarm immediately alerts rescuers. Each box has a heater and a cooling unit.
Officials previously noted that newborns placed in a Baby Box are “attended to within five minutes, medically evaluated at a local hospital and adopted within 30-45 days.”
“What we’re advocating for is that every mother has this option if she chooses, for her crisis, this is something that’s going to make her life better if she chooses this,” said Monica Kelsey, founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes.