The Starke County Commissioners heard an update on a Safe Haven Baby Box being installed in the city of Knox.
Last summer, California Township Trustee Sheri Bartoli asked the Starke County Commissioners to fund a Safe Haven Baby Box for Starke County. She stated the nearest baby box was located in Plymouth and believed having one in Starke County would be a great asset to the community. Bartoli explained a baby box is something where young mothers as a last resort would give up their babies instead of abandoning them. She stated a baby box is usually placed at hospitals or fire stations where an alarm is triggered, notifying 911 once the box has been closed.
In that same meeting, the commissioners discussed briefly on who would be liable for the baby once they have been placed in the box. The following meeting, Bartoli stated after further research she found out the liability of the child resides with Safe Haven once the box is closed. She added the box must be within one mile of a hospital.
During a following commissioner meeting, Bartoli stated she had since teamed up with the Founder and CEO of Bella Vita, Rebecca Bailey on the project. It was mentioned the cost of the baby box is $15,000 with a yearly rental fee of $500. Bartoli stated that Bailey was able to find an anonymous donor willing to pay the $15,000 and a contractor willing to install the baby box for free. She went on to say if approved the county would be able to then apply for a Department of Homeland Security grant that would award them $10,000 for purchasing and installing the baby box. It was noted this grant once received would then go toward the yearly rental fee of $500.
Bartoli stated, once the purchase has been made, the county has 60 days to install it, test it, train EMS personnel and schedule the unveiling in order to be considered for the grant from the Department of Homeland Security. With the time line set, she added the box had to be installed by June 30. The commissioners approved the placement of a Safe Haven Baby Box at the Knox EMS Base unanimously during that meeting.
On Monday, Bartoli announced the baby box had been installed on June 19. She stated she had submitted the required paperwork to the Department of Homeland Security and had received notification they have been awarded the grant. She added the baby box would be going through seven consecutive days of testing starting this week. Bartoli went on to say, once testing is complete, the Safe Haven organization will then schedule training with EMTs on the baby box.
Bartoli says an unveiling of the new baby box is expected to be scheduled sometime near the end of July.
