St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia will officially open Canada's first safe baby drop off location on Monday, May 3rd, 2010. Angel's Cradle, as the system is named, allows a new mother to leave her child in a safe, secure location in the hospital. Thirty seconds after the baby is placed in the bassinet an alarm sounds to alert hospital staff that a baby has been abandoned.
Project Advance, a program initiated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver, collects funds annually to aid in diocesan-wide social programs. Financial aid from this initiative was used to create Angel's Cradle.
Mothers Will Not Face Criminal Charges
Dr. Geoffrey Cundiff, head of the hospital's obstetrics and gynecology department, said he wanted a way for troubled mothers to leave their babies safely and anonymously at the hospital instead of on the street.
A prior agreement has been reached with the Vancouver Police offering assurances that mothers will not be tracked down nor face criminal charges if making this safe choice for their infant. The drop off area is not covered by surveillance video, thereby maintaining the anonymity of the individual. "In the police's view this would not be considered an unsafe abandonment," said Cundiff.
Safe Drop Off Programs Common in United States
Although the Angel's Cradle program is the first of its kind in Canada, similar programs have been used in the U.S. for nearly 10 years. The "Safe and Stable Families Act" was signed into law by President George Bush and called for increased federal funding to assist in the formation of safe baby drop areas. Currently 40 states provide Secret Safe Place for Newborns.
The concept of a safe drop off zone for babies originated in Europe in the 12th century. Although the original concept was phased out, a new version was introduced at European hospitals in the 1950s.
Getting Information Out About the Program
One of the limitations about such a program is dispersing the information out to those who need it the most. Flyers about the Angel's Cradle program will be posted in clinics, health centres and schools in an effort to reach as many women as possible.
Dr. Cundiff says, "It's important for us to get the word out. It's an opportunity for us to reach out to mothers and let them know there's a place here where their babies will be safe."
Recent infanticide cases in the Vancouver area including a baby found in a plastic bag at a Surrey dump call attention to the need for a safe baby drop off.
Lorah Delaney - Lorah is a native of Vancouver, British Columbia. She has a degree in Physical Education from the University of British Columbia and a ...
