A Secret, Safe Place for Newborns: New Program Aimed at Reducing Occurrences of Newborn Abandonment Announced
HAMILTON COUNTY -- A new program aimed at rescuing newborn babies from abandonment and possible injury or death will be implemented in Hamilton County.
A Secret, Safe Place for Newborns will be launched in Hamilton County on Aug. 7, 2000, and is endorsed by: the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office, the Greater Cincinnati Health Council, the Hamilton County Department of Human Services, United Way and Community Chest, Hamilton County hospitals and 12WKRC.
The program, which is based on a successful Mobile, Ala., initiative, allows a mother to drop off her unharmed newborn (up to three days old) at a participating Hamilton County hospital emergency room. The hospital will provide a safe haven for the baby, offering medical care until the Department of Human Services has arranged for placement in an appropriate home. Total secrecy is assured, and the mother will not be prosecuted for abandonment if she acts within three days of the birth and the baby is not harmed.
"Of course, adoption is the best choice for a woman who doesn't want her baby," said Colleen Gerwe, Children's Services section chief, Hamilton County Department of Human Services. "But, a woman who doesn't plan and might panic may need another alternative." Individuals who are considering utilizing this alternative may call the United Way Helpline at 513-721-7900 for more information.
Participating Hamilton County hospitals include: Bethesda North Hospital; Good Samaritan Hospital; Mercy Franciscan Hospital - Mt. Airy; Mercy Franciscan Hospital - Western Hills; Mercy Hospital - Anderson; Christ Hospital; Jewish Hospital; University Hospital and Children's Hospital Medical Center of Cincinnati.
"The importance of this program is evident when you consider the effort required to implement it throughout the county and to bring so many hospitals and organizations together," said Nancy Strassel, vice president of the Greater Cincinnati Health Council. "This has truly been a collaborative effort."
"I am fully supportive of this initiative to rescue newborns from injury or death," said Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney Michael Allen of the program. "While the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office will always vigorously prosecute abusive parents, new mothers who relinquish their newborns in accordance with the structure of the Secret, Safe Place for Newborns program may do so without fear of prosecution for abandonment or neglect."
Contact Information
Nancy Strassel, 513-531-0200
