Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe hailed a new investigative report today that highlights the successes of the County’s Safe Surrender Program. The just-released Safely Surrendered and Abandoned Babies Report by the Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect (ICAN) shows that the 72-hour Safe Surrender window has seen continued success, while the number of newborn abandonments in Los Angeles County continues to decline.

The ICAN report shows that during 2001, the first year of the Safe Surrender Program, there was not a single surrender in Los Angeles County. During the same year, 14 newborns were abandoned in the County. The number of annual abandonments has fallen since that first year in 2001, while the number of surrenders continues to grow. Eight newborns have already been surrendered in 2007, while only one abandonment occurred during the same period. All told, 55 newborns have been surrendered since the inception of the program.

Unfortunately, despite the positive numbers outlined in the ICAN report, the success of Safe Surrender is again threatened for the second time in only two years, said Supervisor Knabe. Lawmakers in the California State Assembly are debating a Bill that would do far more harm than good to Safe Surrender. Assembly Bill 81 (AB 81) would change the time to anonymously surrender a newborn from 72 hours to 30 days.

The ICAN report also revealed that of the newborn abandonments studied, not one abandonment occurred between 72 hours and 30 days after the child’s birth. All the abandonments happened within the first 72 hours of life.

This report is the latest evidence that shows 72 hours works, said Supervisor Knabe. The ICAN report reveals that the first hours of life are the most critical for a newborn that may be abandoned. The research shows that there is no evidence that moving the surrender window from 72 hours to 30 days will be of any benefit. We need to keep the focus where it belongs, on the first critical hours of life.

A newborn girl has become the 53rd baby handed over under the Safe Surrender Program, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe announced today.

The Hispanic female baby was safely surrendered Tuesday, February 27 at Foothill Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Glendora. Tuesday’s surrender is the 6th Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2007 and the 53rd since the program began in 2001.

The Safe Surrender Program in Los Angeles County was initiated by Supervisor Knabe and approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in June of 2002. It allows a mother or someone designated by the mother to surrender an infant that is no more than three days old, as long as the infant is healthy and shows no signs of abuse.

This case could have ended in tragedy, but because of the Safe Surrender program, this baby girl has a long life ahead of her, said Supervisor Knabe. I am happy this mother made the right choice for her baby.

As is standard practice, the newborn girl will be immediately placed in protective custody by the Department of Children and Family Services and placed with a foster adoptive family.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is happy to announce that a baby boy was safely surrendered in the City of Arcadia. The newborn Hispanic male was surrendered at Methodist Hospital in Arcadia and is reported to be in good health.

The newborn boy was surrendered yesterday. As is standard practice, the baby boy is in protective custody and will be placed with a family approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.

It is always a great day when we get word of a successful surrender, said Supervisor Knabe. This little boy has a healthy life ahead of him and he is truly a testament to the success of this program.

This is the fifth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2007, and the 52nd since the program began six years ago. The program was initiated by Supervisor Knabe and approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in 2001. It allows someone to surrender an infant that is no more than three days old, as long as the infant shows no signs of abuse.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce the County’s Safe Surrender Program celebrated success again today with the report of another safely surrendered newborn, the second such report in as many days. This most recent report of a safe surrender occurred in the City of Glendale at Glendale Memorial Hospital.

The newborn female was surrendered on Saturday, February 10 and is reported to be in good health. Although the surrender occurred on Saturday, confirmation was just received today. It is normal for surrenders to take several days to be verified under the rules of the program. As is standard practice, the baby girl is in protective custody and will be placed with a family approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.

This is the fourth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2007. Another newborn was also surrendered on Saturday in Downey and two others were surrendered in Brentwood and Bellflower in January. This most recent surrender is the 51st since the program began six years ago. The program was initiated by Supervisor Knabe and approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in 2001. It allows someone to surrender an infant that is no more than three days old, as long as the infant shows no signs of abuse.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe offered his thanks to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today for vetoing a bill that would have placed the success of the statewide Safe Haven Law in jeopardy.

Under the proposed legislation, AB 1873 by Assemblyman Alberto Torrico (D-Fremont), the Safe Haven window would have been extended to 30 days. Currently, the program allows mothers of unwanted newborns to surrender their babies at Safe Surrender sites, such as Fire Stations and Hospitals, up to 72 hours after the child’s birth. The person who surrenders the newborn is protected from prosecution, No Shame, No Blame and No Names.

Extending the window from 72 hours to 30 days could have created serious medical issues said Supervisor Knabe, who championed the formation of Safe Surrender, the Los Angeles County version of the Safe Haven Program, over five years ago.

Access to quality medical care in the first hours of life is an absolutely critical component that could have been placed in jeopardy had this legislation gone through, said Knabe. Many infants who are safely surrendered have received no prenatal care or medical care at all – services that are critical for these newborns to receive in the first hours after birth. That is a risk we simply cannot afford and we appreciate the Governor’s veto.

Los Angeles County has been at the forefront of implementing the Safe Haven Law. Since its enactment in 2002, 45 babies have been safely surrendered in Los Angeles County – almost one-third of all the newborns saved in California.
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A newborn girl has just become the 45 th baby handed over under the Safe Surrender Program, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe announced this morning.

The baby girl was safely surrendered yesterday at Pomona Valley Medical Center. This incident is the ninth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2006 and the 45 th since the program began in 2001.

The Safe Surrender Program in Los Angeles County was initiated by Supervisor Knabe and approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in June of 2002. It allows someone to surrender an infant that is no more than three days old, as long as the infant shows no signs of abuse.

This case could have ended in tragedy, but because of the Safe Surrender program, this baby girl has a long life ahead of her, said Supervisor Knabe. I am happy this mother made the right choice for her baby.

As is standard practice, the newborn girl will be immediately placed in protective custody by the Department of Children and Family Services and placed with a foster adoptive family.

A newborn boy has been surrendered at a Downey hospital as part of the Safe Surrender program, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe announced today.

The baby boy was safely surrendered yesterday at Downey Regional Medical Center. The baby was healthy and has been initially identified as Hispanic or Caucasian. This incident is the fifth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2006 and the 41st since the program went into effect.

The Safe Surrender Program in Los Angeles County was initiated by Supervisor Knabe and approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in June of 2002. It allows someone to surrender an infant that is no more than three days old, as long as the infant shows no signs of abuse.

The first year the program went into effect, no surrenders were reported in Los Angeles County. That same year, 11 newborns were discovered abandoned and deceased. By 2005, the number of Safe Surrenders climbed to 8 cases and the number of abandoned deceased infants dropped to 4.

This case could have ended in tragedy, but because of the Safe Surrender program, this baby boy has a long life ahead of him, said Supervisor Knabe. I am happy this mother made the right choice for her baby.

A newborn boy has been surrendered at a Norwalk hospital as part of the Safe Surrender program, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe announced this morning.

The baby boy was safely surrendered yesterday at Coast Plaza Doctor’s Hospital in Norwalk. An unidentified woman brought the baby to the emergency room, saying the baby was born at home and that his mother had asked the woman to surrender him to the hospital. This incident is the third Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2006. The first two surrenders occurred on the same day last month when two newborns were dropped off at hospitals in Long Beach and Glendora.

The Safe Surrender Program in Los Angeles County was initiated by Supervisor Knabe and approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in June of 2002. It allows someone to surrender an infant that is no more than three days old, as long as the infant shows no signs of abuse.

The first year the program went into effect, no surrenders were reported in Los Angeles County. That same year, 11 newborns were discovered abandoned and deceased. By 2005, the number of Safe Surrenders climbed to 8 cases and the number of abandoned deceased infants dropped to 4. The newborn handed over at the Norwalk hospital yesterday is the 39 th safely surrendered baby since the program started.

This case could have ended in tragedy, but because of the Safe Surrender program, this baby boy has a long life ahead of him, said Supervisor Knabe. I am happy this mother made the right choice for her baby.