Safely Surrendered Baby

In San Joaquin County, Fire Deparments and Hospital emergency rooms have been designated as sites where a parent my voluntarily surrender physical custody of his or her infant .(72 hours old or less) Although infrequent, any time we can save a baby from being abandoned, we may have saved a life.

Safely Surrendered Baby law facts:

• As of October 2006, 162 newborns have been safely surrendered in California while another 139 infants have been found alive following their illegal abandonment
• In 2005, 51 babies were safely surrendered in California, marking the largest yearly total since the SSB law went into effect. Los Angeles County leads the state with 44 babies safely surrendered since the program began
• Under the SSB law, within three days of birth, a parent or person with lawful custody can safely surrender a baby confidentially and without fear of prosecution.
• The SSB law requires the baby be taken to a public or private hospital emergency room, designated fire station or other safe surrender site. No questions will be asked.
• The SSB law provides a safe alternative to desperate mothers who are unwilling or unable to keep their babies
• Babies who are safely surrendered at a hospital are given medical treatment and placed in a foster home or pre-adoptive home.  At the time of surrender, a bracelet is placed on the baby for identification purposes and a matching bracelet provided to the parent or lawful guardian in case the baby is reclaimed
• A parent or person with lawful custody has up to 14 days from the time of surrender to reclaim their baby
• In addition to California, atleast 46 other states have such laws in place to discourage baby abandonment
• SSB posters and brochures are available, free of charge, to requesting individuals and organizations. Visit the website at www.babysafe.ca.gov for more information

Safe Haven Sites:

Montezuma Fire Dept. 2405 S. B st  Stockton, Ca 95206

Escalon Fire Dept. 1749 Coley ave.  Escalon,Ca 95320

Lathrop-Manteca Fire Dept. 800 J st  Lathrop, Ca 95330

Lodi Fire Dept. 25 E. Pine st  Lodi, Ca 95240

Manteca Fire Dept. 290 S. Powers ave  Manteca, Ca 95336

Ripon Fire Dept. 142 S. Stockton ave  Ripon, Ca 95366

Stockton Fire Dept. 425 N. El Dorado st  Stockton, ca 95202

Tracy Fire Dept. 432 E. 11th st  Tracy, Ca 95376

Clements Fire Dept. 18901 E. Highway 88  Clements, Ca 95227

Collegeville Fire Dept. 13225 E. Mariposa rd  Stockton, Ca 95215

Farmington Fire Dept. 25474 E. Highway 4  Farmington, Ca 95230

French Camp Fire Dept. 310  French Camp, Ca 95231

Liberty Fire Dept. 24124 N. Bruella rd   Acampo, Ca 95220

Linden-Peters Fire Dept. 17725 E. Highway 26  Linden, Ca 95236

Mokelumne Fire Dept. 13157 Brandt rd  Lockeford, Ca 95237

Thornton Fire Dept. 25999 N. Thornton rd  Thornton, Ca 95686

Waterloo-Morada Fire Dept. 6925 Foppiano ln  Stockton, Ca 95212

Woodbridge Fire Dept. 400 E. Augusta st  Woddbridge, Ca 95258

San Joaquin County Hospitals:

San Joaquin General Hospital  500 W Hospital rd  French Camp, Ca 95231  209-468-6000

Dameron Hospital  525 W. Acacia st  Stockton, Ca 95204  209-944-5550

St Joseph's Hospital  1800 N. California st  Stockton, Ca 95204  209-943-2000

Doctors Hospital of Manteca  1205 E. North st  Manteca, Ca 95336  209-823-3111

Kaiser Permanente Hospital  1777 W. Yosemite ave  Manteca, Ca 95337  209-825-3700

Lodi Memorial Hospital  975 S. Fairmont st  Lodi, Ca 95240  209-334-3411

Sutter Tracy Community Hospital  1420 N. Tracy blvd  Tracy, Ca 95376  209-835-1500