NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Nicholasville is now the 222nd location in the United States to have a Safe Haven Baby Box.
The new resource cost the department $21,000 and has been fully installed and tested.
For a parent in crisis, the box offers a safe and legal way to relinquish their child without the face-to-face interaction of a surrender.
“When you have a parent that chooses something safe for that child and basically says 'I want what's best for my child and it's not me,' that's heroic,” said Safe Haven Baby Box founder Monica Kelsey.
Kelsey founded Safe Haven Baby Box due to her own experience as a newborn.
In 1972, Kelsey’s mother was brutally attacked and raped. Her rapist was arrested, and she was left pregnant.
“She was hidden for the remainder of the pregnancy and she gave birth in April of 1973 and abandoned her child two hours after that child was born, and that child was me,” said Kelsey.
It’s her tragedy that propelled Kelsey into a world of change by saving innocent babies from abandonment.
Since 2017, 43 infants have been surrendered in Safe Haven Baby Boxes.
For those in central Kentucky, Nicholasville's Fire Station 4 will serve as a resource for parents in crisis.
The Kentucky Safe Infants Act allows parents to leave newborns younger than 30 days old at a police station, fire station, hospital, or participating place of worship without fear of criminal prosecution.
Nicholasville’s Safe Haven Baby Box is located on the back side of the building at 785 East Brannon Road.
