Supervisor Janice Hahn announced today that a baby boy was safely surrendered at a hospital in Pomona, marking the eighth baby to be surrendered this year and the 150th to be surrendered since the county’s Safe Surrender Program was launched in 2001 by former Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe. 

“The surrender of this baby boy marks an incredible milestone for the Safe Surrender program and is a testament to the work of my predecessor, Don Knabe,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn, in a statement. “His Safe Surrender program has now saved the lives of 150 babies and given them the opportunity to grow up with loving families.”  

The most recent baby to be surrendered in Long Beach was a boy left at a fire station in October of 2015. The newborn was placed in protective custody, to be approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services, according to officials.

 

The Safe Surrender Program allows parents or guardians to legally and safely leave a baby three days old or younger with an employee at any Los Angeles County hospital or fire station, with no questions asked. They will not face arrest or prosecution for abandoning the child. 

The program is an initiative that seeks to prevent tragedies such as when a baby was found dead in a dumpster in North Long Beach in February. A vigil was held for the infant, as well as to raise awareness that there are other options. 

 

“As a new member of the Board of Supervisors, I hope to build on his work and champion this life-saving program,” stated Hahn. “We must continue to raise awareness so that any mother in LA County who finds herself in a desperate and impossible situation knows that they can get their baby to safe hands in a way that is safe, secure, and anonymous.”

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Asia Morris is a Long Beach native covering arts and culture for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her @hugelandmass on Twitter and Instagram and at [email protected].