Kansas Unveils State’s First Safe Haven Baby Box to Combat Infant Abandonment

The first Safe Haven Baby Box in Kansas has been installed at Fire Station 1 in Hutchinson, providing at-risk parents with another option for safely surrendering their newborns.

The box, which was unveiled on Thursday, is located at 2222 N. Main Street and was installed following a change to the state’s Safe Haven law in 2023 allowing baby boxes at fire and police stations, local news station KAKE reported. 

“Being on the cutting edge is about meeting the needs of our community,” Hutchinson fire chief Steven Beer said. “This is going to be another great thing for the city of Hutchinson.”

Baby boxes were created to deter parents from abandoning their newborns in unsafe conditions, potentially leaving them to die. Baby boxes are temperature-controlled incubators often built into exterior walls of fire stations, police stations, and hospitals that can be accessed from inside. At-risk mothers can safely and legally place their newborns inside. Once the baby is inside the baby box the outside door locks and the mother has time to leave before an alarm goes off alerting first responders or hospital staff to the child’s presence.

“Within five minutes at the latest, someone is going to be here rescuing that baby,” Beer added.

The baby is then quickly removed and sent to a hospital for a wellness check. From there, the infant is usually placed into state custody and is often adopted quickly:

In Kansas, unharmed infants may be legally surrendered up to 60 days old to baby boxes, hospitals, fire stations, police stations, and city or county health departments, according to the organization. 

Safe Haven Baby Boxes founder Monica Kelsey shared her personal connection to the cause: she was abandoned as a baby after her 17-year-old mother survived a brutal attack.

“This is my legacy,” Kelsey said. “I will forever walk with these moms as they choose something safe for their child.”

“These babies are going to families who have been praying for them for a very long time,” Kelsey added. 

The Kansas baby box is the 294th location nationwide. The organization also offers a 24/7 confidential hotline at 1-866-99BABY1.