LOUDON — Forty or more Loudon residents and community leaders gathered around the city’s fire and police departments on Thursday, January 16, to get a first glimpse of the new Safe Haven Baby Box at its official blessing ceremony.

The box was installed earlier this month, though city officials like Loudon City Mayor Jeff Harris and Public Safety Director Mike Brubaker initially proposed the idea almost four years ago. …

After countless months of planning and preparation alongside the Court Appointed Special Advocates — or CASA — of East Tennessee, the baby box has finally found a home at the Loudon Fire and Police Department.


FOSTERING A ‘BETTER OPTION’

The installation of the baby box was a true community effort, as reinforced by Loudon County mayor Buddy Bradshaw in his comments at Thursday’s blessing. Mayor Bradshaw spoke on how important this alternative option is to struggling mothers and, perhaps more importantly, their children.

“This is so crucial,” said Bradshaw. “If we, as a nation, are unable or unwilling to care for our newborn and our youth, then we as people have to foster a better option.”

Bradshaw also spoke to the location of the box, reinforcing the credibility of having this option monitored by those tasked with protecting and serving the community.

“I worked out of this building for 10 years (and) there’s no better place,” the county mayor stated. “There will be no more love given to any child that, hopefully, never comes here …

“But if the options are there, they will be taken care of.”

STRAIGHTFORWARD PROCESS

A training session was held prior to the blessing, where Safe Haven gave a presentation and instructions to those who work in the building on proper protocol.

The process once the baby has been dropped off is fairly straightforward, Brubaker explained.

“We’re going to take possession of the baby once it’s dropped off,” the Public Safety director said. “And then we contact the Department of Child Services, we contact Safe Haven, and we care for the baby until additional care is provided.

“It’ll go to the hospital where DCS will take custody, but that’s our part of it.”

AN ALTERNATIVE OPTION FOR ANONYMOUS MOTHERS IN CRISIS

The baby box acts as an alternative option for mothers in crisis to surrender their newborn to local authorities anonymously.

The box is temperature controlled, meaning that outside climates will have no effect on its internal temperature in order to keep the child safe. There are no cameras in the box or surrounding it — to ensure that the parent or caregivers surrendering the child will remain anonymous.

Once the baby box has been closed, the parent or caregiver is given 10 seconds to walk away before a silent alarm sounds … alerting authorities of the child’s presence.

Loudon’s baby box is the 18th in the state of Tennessee, with the service only being present in 17 states currently.

According to Chief Brubaker and Mariah Beth, the assistant project coordinator for Safe Haven Baby Boxes, the program has seen 55 babies successfully surrendered and given a new opportunity in life since the program’s inception in 2017.

In order to minimize the abandonment of newborns in dangerous situations, Tennessee’s Safe Haven law allows new mothers the option to surrender unharmed infants for up to 14 days after birth, with no consequence of prosecution or criminal conviction.

According to the Tennessee Department of Child Services, the law, which has been in effect since 2001, has helped save dozens of young lives.

The law permits the surrender of newborns at a number of locations. Hospitals, birthing centers and various clinics are all on the list of approved locations.

Fire and police stations were added to the approved areas in a 2009 amendment, adding to around-the-clock accessibility since both are available 24 hours a day. The law does stipulate that employees must be present during the surrender process.

Mayor Harris prayed over the baby box to close the ceremony, with Chief Brubaker and the rest of the fire department demonstrating their new expertise for those in attendance afterward.

Mariah Beth, the Safe Haven Baby Boxes’s spokesperson at the event, gave this closing remark about Loudon’s newest addition:

“This box is now open for women in this community and beyond,” she said. “This box offers no shame, no blame and no name.”