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Wisconsin to get Safe Haven Baby Boxes
Tragedy in Whitewater is prompting change a year after a newborn was found dead in a field.
WHITEWATER, Wis. - Tragedy in Whitewater is prompting change a year after a newborn was found dead in a field.
Two municipalities are getting Safe Haven Baby Boxes. Both communities hope this will help parents in distress.
An anonymous climate-controlled Safe Haven Baby Box will soon be placed on a wall on the side of the Whitewater Fire Department. Emergency medical services chief Jason Dean said the new essential tool is in response to the newborn’s death that happened last March.
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"Our main job within fire and EMS is to preserve life and property and if we can save a life and this is a resource we can give them then that’s what we want to do," Dean said.
Whitewater Fire Department
The trauma sticks with Michelle Shilts of Elkhorn.
"It just absolutely broke my heart and 20 years after Wisconsin passed the Safe Haven law, that still shouldn’t be happening here," Shilts said.
That’s when she contacted State Rep. Ellen Schutt.
Last year, a bill passed, allowing municipalities to install infant safety devices where parents can anonymously surrender their newborn within 72 hours of birth, instantly alerting first responders.
"There is an alarm when the door first gets open. There is an alarm when a baby gets placed into a bassinet," Dean said. "That alarm is connected to our city alarm as well, so it actually creates an alarm of service for us."
Safe Haven Baby Box
The price tag for the baby boxes is $15,500. Dean said the City of Whitewater funded its box.
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As for Shilts, she said she fundraised for months for a box at the Elkhorn Fire Department. It was a community effort for something she said will have a priceless impact.
"People do horrendous things when they are ashamed and feel like they have no other options," she said. "And I think this is an important last resort option for mothers in crisis."
The Safe Haven Baby Boxes for both departments are expected to be installed as early as June.
Shilts said there are recurring fees for the boxes. She’s still fundraising to cover those costs and pay for billboards and materials for public education.