COLUMBUS, Ohio — Over the past couple of weeks, there have been stories of young children or babies whose lives were taken too soon. There are resources available for parents in need that can help save a child's life.
In Ohio, you can safely surrender an unharmed baby for up to 30 days in a haven location. This can be at a hospital, police station, EMS provider or fire station. You can also use a Safe Haven Baby Box.
These boxes are located across the country, including Ohio. Parents can anonymously and safely leave an infant they are unable or unwilling to care for. Once the door is shut, a sensor alerts authorities to retrieve the baby to ensure they are placed in proper care following legal protocols.
This was created by Monica Kelsey who was abandoned two hours after her mother gave birth to her. She said she took her pain and turned it into something amazing.
Kelsey said when a parent decides to surrender their child, "The child wins. the biological mother wins and an adoptive family wins because they're getting a call that a child is available for adoption and they've probably been praying for that child for many years."
She said she understands some pain comes with making this decision.
"We do understand that, and we try to address that with these parents that do surrender that contact us for counseling afterward," Kelsey said.
If a parent is in crisis and the child is older than 30 days, they can call a crisis line. That number is (866) 99-BABY1. During this call, Kelsey said the parent is given options.
"We've addressed a ton of issues with parents and not guided them to the box," she said. "The crisis line really works hard at just giving resources to parents. Now if a parent calls us and chooses that they want to safely surrender in a safe haven baby box, we're going to honor that decision, we're going to walk alongside her, and we're going to love her as she does it."
There have been 43 babies placed in a baby box and 147 hand-offs, according to Kelsey. There are nine baby boxes in Ohio and she said they are looking to add more in the Cleveland area.
If you need help and your child is older than 30 days, you can still contact the crisis hotline to get assistance.
There is also CAP4Kids.org. According to their website, they were created to provide healthcare providers, social workers, child advocates, and parents and teens with reliable, up-to-date information on community resources to help improve and enhance the lives of children and families.