PADUCAH — The city of Paducah has verbally agreed to implement a baby box at a local fire station.
The Paducah City Commission will meet on Sept. 26 to discuss and finalize the contract. Once the contract is signed, the construction will commence.
Hope Unlimited Executive Director Nicole Farley said, "The city has verbally approved it. We're excited about that, and the location is not for sure, but it will be in one of our fire stations."
Safe Haven Baby Boxes are allowed under the Kentucky Safe Infant Act, which says parents can surrender a newborn younger than 30 days old at a staffed hospital, police station or fire station.
The boxes serve as a last resort for parents who feel like they have no other option.
"Maybe they feel like there's no answer. Maybe they are feeling like they need to keep this birth a secret. It could be because of trafficking, for instance. It could be because of family members not supporting them. Maybe it's because of a domestic violence situation," Farley explained.
Regardless of the scenario, baby boxes offer a safe space for parents with no other option to provide their child with a second chance.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes are located at hospitals and police and fire stations. They are built into an external wall, so the parents do not have to interact with another person. No identification is necessary, and the parents can remain completely anonymous.
Once a baby is placed in a baby box, it locks from the outside, and alarms alert first responders to the presence of a child. The newborn is picked up within 90 seconds and assessed by qualified personnel. After the baby is assessed, he or she is taken to the hospital.
The Department of Family Services will place the child into state custody, and the child will stay at a foster home. After 30 days, court proceedings will begin to terminate parental rights and start the adoption process.
Parents in Kentucky who surrender a newborn in a Safe Haven Baby Box have 30 days to contact the Department of Family Services to try to regain custody.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes are prohibited in the state of Illinois, so the Paducah box will serve western Kentucky and southern Illinois.
The goal of baby boxes is to prevent new parents from abandoning their newborns in dangerous locations.
"This is where if one baby is saved in Paducah's baby box, we've done our job, and I think that is the bottom line. We are talking about one life at a time," Farley said.
