On January 1, 2001, the Safe Haven Law went into effect. This legislation protects babies from being hurt or killed when they are abandoned in unsafe areas such as trash bins and dumpsters. As applicable in Orange County, a mother may surrender her newborn, without jeopardy, to a hospital with an emergency room, Orangewood Children’s Home or an Orange County fire station.

Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center is one of many designated sites in Orange County. To read more about the Safe Haven Law and the Raise Foundation, a non-profit organization whose mission is to prevent child abuse, please go to www.theraisefoundation.org.