KINGSTON, Tenn. — Tennessee's third Safe Haven Baby Box will soon open in Kingston. It is the 199th Baby Box in the U.S., according to a release from Safe Haven.
It is at the Kingston Fire Station #1 located at 125 West Cumberland Street, according to a release about the baby boxes. On Friday at around 1 p.m., people from the Kingston community had a chance to attend an event about the baby box.
The Safe Haven Baby Boxes give parents a chance to safely surrender their infants with complete anonymity. It's a program meant to prevent infant abandonment, and in May a baby was surrendered in Knoxville's baby box. It was the first in the state to be surrendered.
When a baby is surrendered via a baby box, the door locks upon closing and alarms notify the location that a baby was surrendered. Personnel can then quickly respond to get the infant, all within 5 minutes.
The child is then taken to a hospital to be evaluated, according to the release.
In 2023, a record 17 babies were surrendered through the program, according to the release.