A Safe Haven: Andrew County installs baby box

The first Safe Haven Baby Box in Northwest Missouri is installed and soon will be available if a new parent is in a crisis. 

The boxes offer an anonymous and legal alternative to the abandonment of a newborn baby, and one is in place at the Savannah Fire Department, 107 S. Highway 71. The box is a way for parents to ensure an infant they cannot care for is safe. 

The boxes, which are placed in fire stations around the country, have doors on both the outside and inside of the building. Once an infant is placed in the box from the outside, it will lock and immediately notify personnel who will retrieve the infant from the inside and begin to offer medical care. 

Officials in the city of Savannah, located just north of St. Joseph, ramped up efforts to bring a baby box to Northwest Missouri after a deceased infant's body was found by Mozingo Lake in Maryville last summer. 

“We just knew an infant was found deceased and that's all we knew,” said Sara Chamberlain, co-chair of the Savannah Fire Department. “But that was enough for me to say we need to do something.” 

Chamberlain and Steve Smith, co-chairs of Andrew County Community Builders, put their heads together, aiming to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again in the area. 

“Having a career in law enforcement, I have seen abandoned children, I've seen parents that don't want children and I've seen more parents that want children who can't have them,” Smith said. “So, with Sarah wanting to do this, I was 100% on board.” 

For a rural fire station, getting approval for a baby box wasn’t an overnight process and one that required thousands of dollars.  

The Andrew County Community Builders group began fundraising efforts by hosting cook-offs and partnering with local restaurants. However, once community members from near and far received word of their efforts, the $40,000 goal to get the Safe Haven Baby Box in place was reached in three short months. 

“It's unfortunate that there's a need for it but there's certainly a need,” Smith said. “There are parents out there, mothers, fathers or both, they can't afford it, issues of drug use are involved, whatever the case may be. But this gives an option to where the child can actually be provided with a decent life. They're going to receive health care, food and be taken care of and eventually be adopted into a loving home.” 

The Safe Haven Baby Box will be available 24/7 as a last-resort option for parents across the region.  

“The state of Missouri says newborns up to the age of 45 days can be surrendered anonymously or to a first responder at a safe haven location,” Chamberlain said. “They're going to hopefully be able to meet with one of our firemen and hand that baby over safely but if that isn't an option the box is there.” 

These efforts have even sparked momentum for residents in nearby cities like St. Joseph, where many would like to see the same resources. 

“I think it would be a fantastic idea for the city,” said Jonathan Warner. I've seen it in other towns across the country and we've got real good men at the fire department here in St. Joe who would do anything to help protect babies.” 

One area mother, Sarah Miller, says the anonymity of a Safe Haven Baby Box is what makes all the difference. 

“I don't know if I could just take my child to a law enforcement center because I would feel intimidated,” she said. “When I hear the word 'safe' I instantly think of how many parents would feel more comfortable doing this.” 

Officials with the St. Joseph Fire Department aren't certain they will be getting a baby box anytime soon but law enforcement agencies in the city would like to see one. 

“I don't think it's a bad idea or something to look at as a bad thing,” said Buchanan County Sheriff Bill Puett. “I would rather see a child given to people who would love and take care of that child than do something that would harm them or put them in a bad situation.” 

Officials with the Savannah Fire Department and Andrew County Community Builders credit individuals from the county to law enforcement for working together to get the baby box in place. 

While the baby box is installed, it’s not available for use yet, officials said. The next step is to have Savannah firefighters trained on how to respond to a surrendered baby, which could happen as soon as the spring. 

While Chamberlain and Smith said they're both hopeful no one ever has to use the box at the Savannah Fire Department they're glad it's there. 

“I would love to see these things go up all over Missouri,” Chamberlain said.