Box is 20th in state of Tennessee
The Morgan County Emergency Management Services building located on Flat Fork Road near Wartburg became the newest facility in Tennessee to open a Safe Haven Baby Box when local and state leaders held a special blessing ceremony Friday afternoon.
The boxes are designed to give a mother or father a chance to safely surrender a newborn baby 14 days old or younger.
State Rep. Ed Butler helped make the event possible by spearheading legislation making it possible for EMS stations, E-911 centers and nursing homes to install the boxes.
“This is something close to my heart,” Butler said Friday. “I’ve worked on this legislation for a year now and to see one of the boxes put in knowing I had a part in that makes it all worth it.”
Wartburg’s Safe Haven Baby Box was provided at no cost to taxpayers. It is the 20th of its kind in Tennessee and the first in Butler’s representative district.
“My goal is to get them in all five counties I represent,” Butler said. “This one is the first in my district; to have one in Wartburg is a big deal to me. It’s a big deal because our local leadership, our EMS, and our county commission has worked together to get to this point. It makes me very proud to know the people in Morgan County made this a priority.”
The opening of the Wartburg box came just three days after a box in Chattanooga was put to use.
“I don’t know how many babies have been surrendered in Tennessee, but I can think of three in the past year,” Butler said. “We hope it is never used, but I’m thankful it is there for somebody to use. It’s a much better alternative to leaving them outside or leaving them in a dumpster.”
Butler added he is also pursuing legislation to move the age of surrendering a baby from 14 days to 45 days.
