Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce the County’s Safe Surrender Program celebrated success for the fifth time this year with the report of a safely surrendered newborn. This most recent safe surrender occurred on August 6, 2012 at a hospital in Glendora.

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 important that we continue to get word out about the Safe Surrender program so that mothers in desperate situations know there is a better option for their newborn than abandonment,” said Supervisor Knabe. “Thanks to the Safe Surrender program, this baby boy has a second chance at life and hope for a bright future.”

This is the fifth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2012, and the 94th since the program began over ten 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 nomore 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 for the fourth time this year, and the second time this week, with the report of a safely surrendered newborn baby girl. This most recent safe surrender occurred on July 9, 2012 at a hospital in Lancaster.

A second newborn was also safely surrendered on July 9 at a hospital in Pomona. As is standard practice, the baby girls are in protective custody and will be placed with families approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.

“Thanks to the Safe Surrender program, these baby girls have a second chance at life and hope for bright futures,” said Supervisor Knabe. “I’m thankful that these mothers decided to surrender their babies, rather than put them in a harmful situation. As word spreads about the Program, mothers in desperate situations can make the right choice for her baby, because of Safe Surrender.”

These are the third and fourth Safe Surrenders in Los Angeles County in 2012, and the 92^nd and 93^rd since the program began over ten 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 nomore 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 for the third time this year with the report of a safely surrendered newborn. This most recent safe surrender occurred on July 9, 2012 at a hospital in Pomona.

The mother concealed her pregnancy and called ahead to the hospital to ask if she could surrender the infant. 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.

“The Safe Surrender program was created to give a mother, no matter what the situation, a safe, secure and anonymous way to get her child into safe hands and to protect a baby from abandonment,” said Supervisor Knabe. “Thanks to the Safe Surrender program, this baby girl has a second chance at life and hope for a bright future.”

This is the third Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2012, and the 92^nd since the program began over ten 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.

Following last night’s attempted abandonment of a newborn baby in Long Beach, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is reminding residents about the County’s Safe Surrender program.

“Incidents like what occurred in Long Beach are a reminder to Mothers that there is always an option for their baby,” said Supervisor Knabe. “The Safe Surrender program was created to give a Mother, no matter what the situation, a safe, secure and anonymous way to get her child into safe hands and to protect a baby from abandonment: No shame, No blame, and No names. I am very happy to hear that the infant is safe and has a second chance at life and hope for a bright future.”

Established by Supervisor Knabe in 2001, the Safe Surrender program allows a parent or legal guardian to confidentially handover an infant, three days old or younger, to any hospital emergency room or fire station in Los Angeles County. As long as the baby has not been abused or neglected, the person may surrender the baby without fear of arrest or prosecution for child abandonment.

Since the program began, 91 babies have been safely surrendered in Los Angeles County, including two in 2012. The multilingual Safe Surrender Hotline, 1-877-BABY-SAFE, is available 24-hours a day for more information and the location of the nearest Safe Surrender site. Safe Surrender sites can also be found by calling the County helpline at 211 or by visiting www.babysafela.org.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce the County’s Safe Surrender Program celebrated success for the second time in less than a week with the report of a safely surrendered newborn. This most recent safe surrender occurred on January 15, 2012 at Los Angeles Fire Department Fire Station 68.

The mother surrendered her baby girl at the fire station at approximately 12:45 a.m., and the baby was brought to Cedars Sinai Medical Center. 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.

“I am very happy that we can celebrate the safe surrender of a newborn baby for the second time this week,” said Supervisor Knabe. “As word of the program spreads, mothers in desperate situations realize that there is a safe, secure and anonymous way to get a baby into safe hands, rather than abandonment or worse. Thanks to the Safe Surrender program, this baby girl has a second chance at life and hope for a bright future.”

This is the second Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2012, and the 90^th since the program began ten 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 for the first time this year with the report of a safely surrendered newborn. This most recent safe surrender occurred on January 10, 2012 at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.

The mother gave birth to the baby boy at home then called paramedics and said she wanted to safely surrender the infant. 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.

“The Safe Surrender program was created to give a mother, no matter what the situation, a safe, secure and anonymous way to get her child into safe hands and to protect a baby from abandonment,” said Supervisor Knabe. “Thanks to the Safe Surrender program, this baby boy has a second chance at life and hope for a bright future.”

This is the first Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2012, and the 89^th since the program began ten 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 for the fifth time this year with the report of a safely surrendered newborn. This most recent safe surrender occurred on October 31, 2011 at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance.

The mother gave birth to the baby girl at the hospital and informed the hospital social worker that she would like to surrender the infant. 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.

“The Safe Surrender program was created to give a mother, no matter what the situation, a safe, secure and anonymous way to get her child into safe hands and to protect a baby from abandonment,” said Supervisor Knabe. “Thanks to the Safe Surrender program, this baby girl has a second chance at life and hope for a bright future.”

This is the fifth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2011, and the 88th since the program began ten 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.

Families, firefighters, hospital staff and social workers joined Supervisor Don Knabe today at the Los Angeles County Hall of Administration to recognize the 10^th anniversary of the Safe Surrender program.

“I am overwhelmed and thrilled that we could honor this special day,” said Supervisor Knabe. “While it is difficult to ‘celebrate’ a baby be given up, when we consider what the alternative could have been, we recognize the courage it took for a mother, who found herself in a desperate situation, to make a better choice for her child.“

Families who have adopted safely surrendered babies, along with firefighters, hospital staff and social workers who have had a first-hand role in a Safe Surrender, were recognized by Supervisor Knabe for making the program a reality.

“The true heroes of Safe Surrender are the people who volunteer to become parents to the infants who have been surrendered,” said Knabe. “Families come in all shapes and sizes and if a child is born and raised in a home that is loving and nurturing, there is no better nest from which they can fly.”

During the anniversary event, Supervisor Knabe made a surprise announcement that the First5 LA Commission approved $500,000 to update, reinvigorate and increase the Safe Surrender program’s outreach efforts.

“As an agency charged with advocating for the health and safety of this county’s youngest children, I am very pleased that the First 5 LA Commission approved $500,000 to be used to implement a new county-wide public education campaign,” said Evelyn V. Martinez, chief executive officer of First 5 LA.  “It is crucial that we continue to keep the Safe Surrender Program in the spotlight, so parents know they have options.”

Established in 2001, the Safe Surrender program allows a parent or legal guardian to confidentially handover an infant, three days old or younger, to any hospital emergency room, fire station or other designated Safe Surrender site, as long as the baby has not been abused or neglected. As of September 2011, 87 newborns have been safely surrendered.

Out of what could be a tragic outcome of abandonment or death, 87 newborns have been given a chance for a healthy and happy life thanks to the Safe Surrender program which was established in LA County ten years ago.  Supervisor Don Knabe will recognize the importance of the program, celebrate the families and promote increased outreach to provide an option for mothers in desperate situations.

When:  Wednesday, September 28, 2011; 11:30a.m.  Program begins at noon.

Where:  Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 West Temple Street; 8^th floor balcony,  Downtown Los Angeles 90012.

Who:  Supervisor Knabe celebrates the children and their families created by the Safe Surrender program, along with firefighters and hospital personnel who have been involved in a Safe Surrender.

Also speaking are Debi Faris, founder of the Garden of Angels, and Yoli Flores, who helped spearhead the program.

Background:

The Safe Surrender Program, based on the statewide Safe Haven Law, was developed and championed by Supervisor Don Knabe and unanimously approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2001.  The program’s purpose is to protect newborns from being hurt or killed because of abandonment. Safe Surrender allows a parent or legal guardian to confidentially handover an infant, three days old or younger, to any hospital emergency room, fire station or other designated Safe Surrender site.  As long as the baby has not been abused or neglected, the person may surrender the baby without fear of arrest or prosecution for child abandonment.

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