Picayune To Open Safe Haven Baby Box Offering Anonymous Option To Surrender Newborns

PICAYUNE, Miss. — Parents in crisis will soon have a new way to safely and anonymously surrender a newborn in Picayune.

The Picayune Fire Department has installed a Safe Haven Baby Box, making Picayune the 12th community in Mississippi to offer one and bringing the nationwide total to approximately 479.

The box provides a secure location where a parent can legally surrender an infant without having to interact face to face with firefighters.

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The system is designed to immediately alert first responders when the box is used. According to Picayune Fire Chief Josh Abercrombie, alarms monitor the door, weight and motion inside the box as well as any loss of power.

Firefighters have undergone special training and completed seven days of testing. When an alarm is activated, crews are required to respond within five minutes, while fire, police and EMS are also notified. The infant is then evaluated and Child Protective Services is contacted.

Funding for the Picayune box was entirely raised by the community, with support from the Pearl River County Republican Women’s Club and the Picayune Chamber of Commerce.

City Councilman Josiah Hickman said the need for such a resource became apparent through his wife’s work as a labor and delivery nurse, where she encountered situations in which an option like the baby box could potentially have changed a child’s life.

Officials say they hope the box never has to be used, but want the option available if a parent finds themselves in a crisis.

The Safe Haven Baby Box will officially be unveiled and blessed at 10 a.m. Wednesday, October 7, at the Picayune Fire Department. The public is invited to attend.

Once operational, the box will provide another safe and legal alternative intended to protect newborns while giving parents in crisis an anonymous surrender option.