Penn Highlands State College Hosts Safe Haven Baby Box Blessing

On October 29, 2024, members of the Centre County community gathered with leaders from Penn Highlands Healthcare and Safe Haven Baby Boxes for an inter-faith blessing ceremony of the Baby Box located at Penn Highlands State College.

The Penn Highlands State College Emergency Department is one of only two locations in Pennsylvania that has a Safe Haven Baby Box to meet the needs of mothers in crisis.

The blessing ceremony included prayers to raise awareness of the Safe Haven Law which was enacted in 2001 to prevent the illegal abandonment of newborns. The law allows mothers to confidentially surrender their unharmed babies within 28 days of birth to staff at any Safe Haven facility without fear of prosecution for abandonment.

The Safe Haven Baby Box is a safety device that is installed in an exterior wall of the Emergency Department (ED). When a baby is placed inside the box, the door automatically locks and the ED staff receives notification that a baby has been surrendered. The baby is immediately removed and examined.

“Penn Highlands State College is an excellent location for the Safe Haven Baby Box because it is located outside of our Emergency Department which is staffed 24/7 – 365 days a year,” said Rhonda Halstead, Regional Market President – Central Region for Penn Highlands Healthcare. “Mothers can surrender their babies with the knowledge that they will be immediately cared for by medical professionals.”

Following Rhonda’s remarks, Pastor Kevin Orndorff, Chaplain at Penn Highlands DuBois, offered inspirational sentiments about the babies’ lives who will be saved due to the wisdom, passion and efforts of those who were instrumental in bringing the Baby Box to Penn Highlands State College for the protection and safety of infants across the region. Pastor Don Hunter, Chaplain of Penn Highlands DuBois East, then recited a blessing.