Cudahy Board of Health urges caution on Safe Haven Baby Box, recommends private funding and vetted resources

The Cudahy Board of Health on Oct. 9 issued an official statement expressing reservations about installing a Safe Haven Baby Box and recommended that any implementation be funded privately rather than with public health dollars.

"Cudahy Board of Health opinion is that the Safe Haven Baby Box is an intervention that is associated with minimal harm and is not opposed to implementation with the stipulation that public health funds not be utilized, given the low public health impact," the board said in its statement. Health Officer Heather Puente had presented local maternal and child health data to the board, stressing that prematurity is the largest risk factor for infant mortality and outlining current Cudahy Health Department (CHD) maternal and child health efforts.

Alderman Ken Jankowski told the board the Baby Box "would be funded by a private donation, including installation & ongoing costs," and said the device was being proposed in part as a promotional opportunity for the city rather than as a targeted strategy to reduce infant mortality.

Board members raised concerns about the need to vet any resources and referral locations associated with the Baby Box to ensure they are appropriate, non-biased and non-religious, noting that several local pregnancy crisis centers do not meet that standard. The board recommended including mental-health and reproductive-health resources in any promotional materials and in resources available at the Baby Box; it also noted that Wisconsin's Safe Haven law includes hospitals and fire departments among statutory drop-off options.

The board did not adopt a prohibition on privately funded installations but made clear its recommendation that public-health funds not be used. Members also pointed out that CHD has existing maternal and child health initiatives with resource gaps that the city could support instead.