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First Lexington baby box opens at fire station

The recently-installed Safe Haven Baby Box at Lexington Fire Station #2.
Shepherd Snyder
/
WEKU
The recently-installed Safe Haven Baby Box at Lexington Fire Station #2.

Another Safe Haven Baby Box is available for use in central Kentucky.

Baby boxes allow parents and couples unable to take care of their newborn to anonymously hand the child over without facing any judgment or legal punishment. It’s the 49th such box in Kentucky, but the first in Lexington.

The box was installed outside the Lexington Fire Department’s Station Number 2 in the eastern part of the city.

Safe Haven representative Jessi Getrost says they’re a way to make sure infants are safe and taken care of.

“We want to let parents know that they now have the anonymous option, should they choose it, to safely, legally surrender their infant,” Getrost said. “We hope that one day we can stop infant abandonment across this country.”

Other baby boxes are open in communities across central Kentucky, including Richmond, Nicholasville and Georgetown.

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Shepherd joined WEKU in June 2023 as a staff reporter. He most recently worked for West Virginia Public Broadcasting as General Assignment Reporter. In that role, he collected interviews and captured photos in the northern region of West Virginia. Shepherd holds a master’s degree in Digital Marketing Communication and a bachelor’s in music from West Virginia University.
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