The first Safe Haven Baby Box to be placed in a Mississippi hospital has been unveiled at the Simpson General Hospital in Mendenhall.
State officials and community members gathered for a blessing ceremony of the box on Wednesday afternoon, with the new location expected to allow for the legal and safe surrender of infants at the hospital and across central Mississippi.
According to officials, Simpson General Hospital’s new box was funded entirely by private donations from the Mendenhall and Simpson County community members.
At this time, the new location in Mendenhall marks the second available Safe Haven Baby Box in the state, along with the Long Beach Central Fire Station.
Mississippi’s first baby box was made available at the Long Beach location in August 2023 in order to serve women in crisis 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Nationwide, the Long Beach baby box marked the 158th location, allowing for the complete anonymous surrender of an infant under Mississippi’s Safe Haven Law.
“Every Box is a visual representation of the Safe Haven Law and an additional protection measure for women in crisis,” Safe Haven Baby Box founder Monica Kelsey explained. “We can end infant abandonment by making sure anonymous surrender is allowed in dire circumstances. We will be there when no one else is supportive and we will not judge the situation.”
Construction on the state’s third Safe Haven Baby Box at the police station in Gluckstadt is currently underway after reaching its fundraising goal of $25,000 in less than one month. The box is anticipated to be open to mothers in need by the summer of 2024.
