HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — For so many women, finding out you're pregnant is a joy... but for some, it simply is not. That's where Hendersonville Fire Station No. 5 on Forrest Retreat Road comes in. It's the site of the very first Safe Haven Baby Box in the mid-state and sixth in Tennessee.
On Wednesday, community leaders and advocates gathered for a celebration and blessing of the box.
The state has had a Safe Haven Law in the books since 2001. It says a parent can leave a healthy baby up to two weeks old at certain designated places with no fear of prosecution. Since 2015, 80 babies have been safety surrendered in Tennessee and this new addition means another option and another level of security for both baby and parents during a traumatic time.
I spoke to Safe Haven Baby Box Founder and CEO Monica Kelsey about how it works.
Once the door is opened, the fire department gets a notification via a silent alarm. When a baby is placed inside the ventilated and temperature-controlled box, there's a second notification. A third silent alarm is triggered when the person shuts the door, which immediately locks.
"We just did our final test and that baby would be picked up from this box in one minute and 26 seconds from the time the parent places the child inside, to the time firefighters would've pulled this child out," said Kelsey. "It is very quick, almost immediate, and the baby's receiving medical care immediately upon retrieval."
I learned the move to bring a Baby Box to Hendersonville was a lengthy process, but it didn't come with much controversy.
"In a politically divided world, this has been a connection point where we all agreed on this project — the community came together and we saw how amazing something like this would be," advocate Silvanna Francescutti Vetri said at Wednesday's blessing.
"I'm an adoptee," said Hendersonville Mayor Jamie Clary, "I was given a second chance as a baby when my biological mother decided the best thing for me was for somebody else to raise me. I love we're giving other babies that possibility."
Hendersonville firefighters are trained to respond to activity at the Baby Box, and Fire Chief Scotty Bush said his team is prepared.
"When you hire in as a firefighter, you want to make a difference in somebody's life. And I can't think of any other way you can make a difference in someone's life than using this baby box," said Bush.
Founder Monica Kelsey reiterated: this is about no blame — no shame — and no name.
"It's giving women another option, and when women have options... they will choose what's best for them. It might not be what you would choose — might not be what I would choose — but we have to give women options in order to keep these babies out of dumpsters and trash cans. Women want anonymity. They don't want to walk into this fire station and hand their child to a person. Some will, some won't. If they won't — we need to have this available or we're going to continue to find babies in dumpsters and trash cans like we do every three to five days in America."
Do you know if there is a Safe Haven Baby Box in the works in your community? Let me know by emailing me here.
"If you're listening — you're not being judged," said advocate Francescutti Vetri. "We want to help you as a community and we want to do it in a way that is safe for you and your baby."
There are over 200 Safe Haven Baby Boxes throughout the United States. While the Hendersonville box is the first in Middle Tennessee, a box is being tested in Murfreesboro and plans are underway for additional locations in Springfield.
This box is located at 1166 Forest Retreat Road in Hendersonville. If you are a parent in crisis, call or text 1-866-99-BABY1 (1-866-992-2291).
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
