Safe Haven

MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center has a Safe Haven “baby box” where Iowa parents can anonymously surrender a baby any time of the day through the state’s Safe Haven Act. Under the Safe Haven Act, guardians may leave an infant up to 90 days old at any hospital, health care facility, fire station, through a newborn safety device or to an Adoption Service Provider without fear of prosecution for abandonment. In the state of Illinois, parents may surrender a baby under the Safe Haven Law up until the baby is 30 days old.

MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center has the second official Safe Haven “baby box” in the state of Iowa. The first was installed at the Fort Dodge Fire Department in 2023. The climate-controlled “baby box” features a 2-foot-wide opening with a clear plastic medical bassinet inside for the infant. Once a baby is placed inside, the outside door of the box locks and a silent alarm alerts the rapid response team. On the inside, there is plexiglass on the opposite side of the box, which is unlocked to retrieve the infant.

The Safe Haven “baby box” is installed in a concrete wall in a private alley near the west entrance of the hospital.  

MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center
1111 6th Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50314
515-247-3121