A Safe Haven for Newborns Highlights the Life-Saving Power of the Direct Safe Surrender Method

A compassionate, face-to-face approach ensures immediate care, privacy, and support

MIAMI, FL, UNITED STATES, January 8, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A Safe Haven for Newborns, guided by The Gloria M. Silverio Foundation 501(C)3, is dedicated to preventing the tragic abandonment of newborns. Through education, grassroots community engagement, and direct support, the Foundation responds to an urgent and growing need by offering compassionate, non-judgmental help and essential resources to pregnant women in crisis, at no cost. Every woman is treated with dignity, her privacy protected, and she is supported throughout her pregnancy and beyond, ensuring she is never alone at any stage of her journey.

“We strive to reach the young women before they reach the crisis stage by offering them a lifeline and the resources to make the decision that is right for her and her infant,” said Nick Silverio, founder of A Safe Haven for Newborns. After the 24/7 multilingual helpline desk receives a call and learns the expectant mother’s needs, Safe Haven for Newborns is able to offer her the support and guidance she needs in her respective state at no cost to her.

Services include shelter; referrals for counseling, prenatal care, and transportation to medical appointments; support for abuse and suicide prevention; and newborn necessities and adoption information. If she decides that surrender is the best option for herself and her baby, she can safely place her newborn in the caring arms of a trained professional at any hospital, fire station, or EMS station displaying the A Safe Haven for Newborns sign. “This is a profoundly emotional moment for both the mother and the person receiving the infant,” said retired firefighter Janice Matos of Miami-Dade Fire Rescue.

For over 25 years, A Safe Haven for Newborns has used the Direct Safe Surrender Method—a humane, compassionate approach built on strong partnerships with medical and emergency professionals. This method allows a mother to experience closure by knowing she is leaving her baby in the arms of another person. “Leaving a newborn with a trained professional helps ease the mother’s fear, guilt, and grief,” said Dr. Andrea Corn, Licensed Florida Psychologist. Direct surrender ensures immediate medical care for both mother and baby, preserves the mother’s anonymity, gathers vital health information for the infant’s future, and allows professionals to recognize and respond to any signs of abuse or danger—protecting lives at their most vulnerable moment.

To support the safe, direct surrender of newborns, the Foundation provides free online training to all 24/7 Safe Haven facilities and law enforcement agencies. Over 25,000 professionals have completed this training. The Foundation also supplies Safe Haven signage and educational materials to all ER hospitals and 24/7 staffed fire and EMS stations, at no cost to the facilities. However the Foundation does not support the use of the Indirect Surrender Box Method—referred to as the Infant Safety Device, or more commonly as a baby box— because such devices eliminate all personal interaction during what is often an emotionally complex surrender.

Placing an infant into a baby box and closing the door eliminates all contact with the surrendering parent, limiting a healthcare professional’s ability to assess the infant’s condition or determine whether the mother requires immediate medical care. Once closed, a trained staff member is the only one who can open the box from inside the facility, preventing any interaction with the individual leaving the infant. There have been documented instances of deceased infants, animals, and non-infant items being left in surrender boxes.

The baby box approach places the full financial and operational burden on the hosting fire station or hospital, as the device must be permanently embedded into the facility’s structure, with all associated costs borne by the institution. The cost to purchase a baby box ranges from approximately $16,000 to $22,000, with additional expenses including installation, a five-year rental term, and annual maintenance fees of up to $1,000. Currently, Safe Haven Baby Box is the sole provider in the United States. According to their website, these devices are not required to be regulated by the FDA or CPSC, nor are they required to carry a UL listing, as they are not commercially sold. Instead, performance testing is conducted through an unnamed third-party partner. In addition, an infant surrender device introduces several risks to the participating institutions, such as liability, security and fire codes.

Identified as the national model program in savings newborns from abandonment and assisting pregnant teens and women in crisis, A Safe Haven for Newborns has assisted other states and countries to develop similar programs that work in their communities. To date, 435 newborns have been given a chance; 425 in Florida, nine in other states, and one in Honduras. In over 25 years A Safe Haven for Newborns has counseled over 6,000 women and in that entire time has never had a single case where a baby box was needed. Based on that experience and the potential harm to both the newborn and mother, A Safe Haven for Newborns opposes the use of infant surrender devices.

To learn more about A Safe Haven for Newborns, visit the website. Here you can sign up for the monthly electronic newsletter and celebrate each time a newborn joins the family; and make a donation. We are making a difference, and you can too.

Nick Silverio
A Safe Haven for Newborns
+1 786-246-1304
safehaven@asafehavenfornewborns.com
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