A Safe Haven for Newborns Provides Lifesaving Services for Mothers in Crisis

Making a Difference and Saving Two Lives

MIAMI, FL, UNITED STATES, February 13, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Gloria M. Silverio Foundation, 501 C-3, dba, A Safe Haven for Newborns, was founded in 2001 to address the escalating problem of infant abandonment in the state of Florida. A Safe Haven for Newborns’ goal is to care for both the mother and her unborn child. “It’s not only the baby’s life that is saved, so is the mother’s,” said Daniel Moran, Battalion Chief, EMS Division, Town of Davie Fire Rescue. The program helps mothers who want to give up their babies without endangering the infant’s life by surrendering them at a manned fire station where the infant can be left in the protective arms of a firefighter with no questions asked. “What the program has done is to give the mothers in crisis the hope that the baby can have a great life and be loved by a family,” said Kingman Schuldt, Fire Chief, Greater Naples Fire Rescue District.

The program saves two lives, the mother and newborn. It provides the mother with the resources and support she needs prior to giving birth, allowing her to make an informed decision that is in the best interest of her unborn child and hers. The Foundation does not charge for any of the services offered.

A Safe Haven for Newborns offers referral services across all 67 Florida counties, as well as for calls received from other states. Some of the referral services A Safe Haven for Newborns offers include, but not limited to, temporary shelter, maternity homes, counseling, health-related issues, transportation to pre-natal care appointments, providing newborn necessities, help with abuse issues, suicide prevention, connecting them with Medicaid and other government programs, or information on adoption. A Safe Haven for Newborns oversees a 24/7 multi-lingual confidential national helpline which offers the distraught mothers the support and guidance they need in their specific states.

The surrender process established by the Fire Chief and Fire Marshalls and, with Nick Silverio, Founder of the A Safe Haven for Newborns, is straightforward. It allows for babies to be taken to a manned fire station or hospital, 30 days or younger, and be left in the arms of a trained professional — firefighter or medical — anonymously. The process to follow after they receive the infant was outlined by Silverio. All firefighters and hospital personnel take an online course on the steps they need to follow to get basic information to make sure the baby is taken care of. A card is given to the mother thanking them for their brave decision and explaining what will happen to their baby. The card also lists contact information for resources if she needs help.

Once the paramedics take the infant to the hospital, the infant is provided with medical care; and a social worker at the hospital reaches out to an adoption agency in the area for placement. When the newborn leaves the hospital, it is in the arms of their forever family. “Safe Haven for Newborns provides an opportunity for the young mother to safely leave their child in a safe place and to know they will be adopted,” said Anthony Abraham, Chairman of the Anthony R. Abraham Foundation.

Since its inception 24 years ago, the Foundation has seen a decrease in infant abandonment in the state of Florida. To date 421 newborns have been saved — 411 in Florida, nine in other states, and one in Honduras. Identified as a national model program in saving newborns from abandonment and assisting pregnant teens and women in crisis, A Safe Haven for Newborns has collaborated with other states and countries to develop similar programs that work in their communities.

For more information on A Safe Haven for Newborns life-saving mission, visit their website A Safe Haven for Newborns.com.

Nick Silverio
A Safe Haven for Newborns
+1 786-246-1304
safehaven@asafehavenfornewborns.com
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