We are excited to announce that Osage Ambulance District has officially partnered with Safe Haven Baby Boxes to bring Safe Surrender Boxes to our community! These boxes will be installed at the Osage Ambulance District Headquarters at 119 South Highway 89 in Linn and Osage Ambulance District Base 3 at 1001 East First Street in Belle.
Help support bringing 2 Safe Haven Baby Boxes to Osage County!
Our fundraising goal is $40,000 ($20,000 per box). Click “Donate Today” to help support!
If you are interested in posting our Fundraising Flyer around your workplace or elsewhere, click here to download.
What Are They?
A Baby Box is a safety device provided for under state’s Safe Haven Law and legally permits a mother in crisis to safely, securely, and anonymously surrender if they are unable to care for their newborn. A Baby Box is installed in an exterior wall of a designated fire station or hospital. It has an exterior door that automatically locks upon placement of a newborn inside the Baby Box, and an interior door which allows a medical staff member to secure the surrendered newborn from inside the designated building.
Missouri State Law and Anonymity
Missouri law allows a baby to be placed in a Save Haven Baby Box anonymously, with no questions asked, up to 45 days after birth. EMT’s, Paramedics and our Osage ambulances bases under Missouri statute qualify to receive babies placed in a Safe Haven Baby Box.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes are an extension of the Safe Haven Law. Established in Texas in 1999, the law permits parents to legally surrender their newborns at fire stations and hospitals. Despite this law, desperate parents still abandon infants outside firehouses and hospitals, compromising the health and safety of their newborn.
Bring Safe Haven Baby Boxes
to Osage County, Missouri!
When the form asks “Please direct my support:” choose “Osage County”
The History
Safe Haven Baby Boxes mission is to prevent illegal abandonment of newborns by raising awareness, offering a 24-hour hotline for mothers in crisis and offering the Safe Haven Baby Boxes as a last resort option for women who want to maintain complete anonymity.
The Safe Haven Baby Box takes the face-to-face interaction out of the surrender and protects the mother from being seen. The Safe Haven Baby Boxes organization’s primary goal is to raise awareness of the Safe Haven Law. Women in crisis can call the national 24-hour hotline and can receive counseling and assistance free of charge. To date, the hotline has received over 9,000 calls from every state in the United States. Safe Haven Baby Boxes has referred over 500 women to crisis pregnancy centers, assisted in 9 adoption referrals, and have had over 150 legal Safe Haven surrenders. Fifty babies have been surrendered in our Baby Boxes. Three babies were surrendered directly to firefighters at Safe Haven Baby Box locations.
How Do They Work?
Safe Haven Baby Boxes provide a secure, anonymous way for parents to surrender their baby safely. These temperature-controlled boxes, installed at fire stations, trigger an alarm and automatically notify emergency responders when used. You can learn much more about these boxes, how they are tested, etc by visiting the clicking here to visit the Save Haven Baby Boxes website.
Bring Safe Haven Baby Boxes
to Osage County, Missouri!
When the form asks “Please direct my support:” choose “Osage County”