By Andrea Vasquez
The town of Edgewood has been working on securing both a safe place and reliable staff for baby boxes. This comes amid news of a baby left at a dumpster in Albuquerque.
On April 22, a newborn baby was found deceased inside a dumpster near Rio Grande Boulevard and Interstate 40 in northwest Albuquerque.
The discovery was made around 3:45 a.m. by individuals in the area, who alerted a nearby security guard. The infant was found wrapped in a blanket.
Under New Mexico’s Safe Haven for Infants Act, a parent can legally surrender an infant at designated locations without facing criminal charges.
The Edgewood Commission decided to participate in the New Mexico Safe Haven program in November 2023, initiating the process to obtain an infant safety surrender device for the town.
The equipment, which was agreed to be installed at the Santa Fe County Fire Department on NM 344, near Venus Park, allows people to safely and anonymously surrender infants.
“The town has been working to find a safe location that fits the requirements of being monitored and staffed 24/7/365. The site would also have to have personnel trained as first responders,” said Community Liaison Linda Burke.
When this occurs, the fire department is alerted immediately so the baby can be transported to a hospital as quickly as possible.
The Safe Haven Baby Boxes process involves:
- A parent opens the box, places the baby inside, and the door locks automatically.
- Sensors trigger multiple alerts, prompting dispatchers to dispatch emergency responders to retrieve the infant.
- The baby receives immediate medical evaluation at a hospital and is then placed into the care of child services to find a permanent home.
Edgewood will join cities such as Hobbs, Carlsbad, Española, and Belen, which have installed baby boxes.
The Bernalillo Fire Department recently raised over $7,000 for the Safe Haven Baby Box project in Bernalillo. The funds will go toward the $24,000 cost of installing the BabyBox, which will be installed at the Bernalillo Fire Station.
The Edgewood commission also approved a memorandum of understanding with the Mid-Region Council of Governments to secure a $10,000 grant for the planning, design, and installation of the device.
The Town of Edgewood is seeking a suitable location for a facility that requires round-the-clock staffing and monitoring, including trained first responders on-site 24/7, 365 days a year.
The challenge is that few local options meet these strict requirements—healthcare facilities are not open 24/7, and emergency services personnel, such as fire and police, are already stretched thin in this rural area.
“Within the Town of Edgewood, there are very limited options that fit that criteria…In a rural setting, such as ours, their personnel must be available to respond to emergency calls. The town has reached out to one more possible site, but no decisions have been made,” said Burke.