A baby girl was safely surrendered to a Long Beach hospital on Friday, September 11, making it the 11th safe surrender this year, county officials announced on Monday.

The newborn was taken into protective custody and will be placed with a family approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services, officials said.

The process is part of the county’s Safe Surrender program, initiated by County Supervisor Don Knabe, which allows someone to surrender an infant that is no more than three days old, as long as the baby shows no signs of abuse, according to a press release.

“The Safe Surrender program was created to give a mother, no matter what the situation, a safe, secure and anonymous way to get her child into safe hands and to protect a baby from abandonment,” said Supervisor Knabe. “This story could have ended in tragedy, but because of the Safe Surrender program, this baby girl has a long life ahead of her!”

Since the program began 14 years ago, 135 infants have been safely surrendered.

To learn more about the Safe Surrender Program, click here.