For more information contact

Mary Pat Elsen

Community Relations

St. Clare Hospital

608-356-1551

608-356-1367

Mary_Pat_Elsen@ssmhc.com

A young girl in denial, a family stretched too thin, a fiancé concerned about the effect on her relationship… although it’s a felony to abandon a child, there is a Safe Place for Newborns at St. Clare Hospital.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that as many as 100 newborns are abandoned in public places every year, with almost a third of those infants found lifeless.  To provide an option other than abandonment, St. Clare implemented Safe Place for Newborns in April 2004, allowing a parent or other designated person to surrender a baby to any employee of the hospital with no questions asked. 

A national program, Safe Place for Newborns provides a mother, who may otherwise abandon her baby, with the option of leaving her infant anonymously at any participating hospital.

“I wish people knew all their options when faced with this situation,” said Clare Gaston, St. Clare social worker, who believes taking advantage of this alternative would be a perfect option for some women or couples.  “A newborn would get wonderful care and ultimately be placed in a loving family,” she said. 

Gaston said St. Clare has not received a newborn through this program.

Through Safe Place for Newborns, St. Clare offers protective shelter, medical care and treatment for unwanted babies up to 72 hours old, the most vulnerable and critical time of life.  The mother will not be asked any questions or be contacted by the authorities; however, if she is willing, she will be given a medical history questionnaire that can be mailed in and placed with the infant’s records.

Once the child receives medical care, the hospital will contact Sauk County Social Services who will take custody of the baby and follow normal child abandonment procedures.

Any person, acting with the mother’s permission, may leave a newborn with a hospital employee without being prosecuted so long as the infant is unharmed.  If intentional injury or abuse is detected during the medical exam of the infant, authorities will be contacted.

If the mother changes her mind and wants the infant back, she can contact the hospital and will be referred to the Department of Health and Human Services. Identification procedures will be followed and the department will determine the best course of action.  This same procedure would apply to the father.

Teresa Hays, director of St. Clare Childbirth Center, said Safe Place for Newborns is a win/win situation.

“A child’s life is saved, a parent is saved from a lifetime of guilt and anguish,” she said, “and it’s a dream comes true for a hopeful family waiting to adopt.”