1st new child surrendered to Florida Secure Haven Child Field

OCALA, Fla. – A new child was surrendered to Florida’s first and solely Secure Haven Child Field, marking the primary time it has been used.

The infant field is situated at Ocala’s Hearth Rescue headquarters. Secure Haven Child Containers founder and CEO Monica Kelsey, Ocala Mayor Kent Guinn and Ocala Hearth Chief Clint Welborn mentioned the surrendered child throughout a information convention Thursday morning.

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Ocala’s location is the one one in Florida, and it’s considered one of 134 bins within the U.S. When it was put in in December 2020, it marked the primary Secure Haven Child Field in Florida.

Welborn and Guinn mentioned throughout the convention that the useful resource helps to save lots of lives.

“I’m so completely happy to listen to of this miracle child,” Guinn mentioned. “I knew after we did this in 2020, today would come. All of us did. We simply didn’t know when. We’re glad it was there as a useful resource for the mom of this baby. I’m certain there might be a shiny future forward for this treasured baby.”

The Secure Haven Child Field prices $10,000 and is leased for $200 a month. So far, 23 infants have been positioned in a Child Field since November 2017, in response to Secure Haven.

Kelsey got here up with the thought for Secure Haven Child Containers as a result of officers had been nonetheless discovering lifeless, deserted infants regardless of states having a Secure Haven regulation, permitting moms to give up newborns to hospitals and fireplace stations.

“My organic father is a rapist and I used to be deserted at start and my life nonetheless has worth. I want that immediately, my start mother would have had these assets all these years in the past,” Kelsey mentioned.

The bins have a heater, cooling unit and are alarm activated, in response to Kelsey. The silent alarm will alert firefighters there’s a child within the field 60 seconds after the new child is positioned in it.

“Sixty seconds is sufficient time for mother to get away,” Kelsey mentioned.

As soon as the newborn is inside, the outer door locks and solely security or medical personnel can entry it. Afterward, the new child is attended to inside 5 minutes, medically evaluated at a neighborhood hospital and adopted inside 30-45 days, Secure Haven officers mentioned.

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