Fire Department To Unveil The First Safe Haven Baby Box At Lake Of The Ozarks

CAMDENTON, Mo. – State Representative Jeff Vernetti announced a ceremonial dedication and ribbon cutting for the first Safe Haven Baby Box at Lake of the Ozarks next Wednesday.

The box is located at Mid County Fire Protection District's station at 184 N Business Route 5, in Camdenton. The ceremony will be held Aug. 19 at 10 a.m.

Vernetti will be joined by officials from the Mid County FPD, representatives from the companies who installed and donated private funds for the box, and the Camdenton Area Chamber of Commerce.

All members of the community are welcome for the dedication ceremony.

This is the first Safe Haven Baby Box installed in Camden County and will be the 14th box installed in Missouri. A second box serving the Lake area will be added later this year in the Lake Ozark Fire Protection District.

“I am very excited for this dedication ceremony, which will officially unveil the Safe Haven Baby Box to our community,” said Rep. Vernetti. “This was a true all-around effort and shows the commitment of our businesses, residents, and first responders to public safety. I want to thank Mid-County Fire Protection District for all they do for Camden County and the Lake of the Ozarks.”

Safe Haven Baby Boxes provide a secure, anonymous, and temperature-controlled environment for parents in crisis to safely surrender newborns up to 45 days old, in accordance with Missouri's Safe Haven law. When a baby is placed in the box, an alert is immediately sent to first responders, ensuring prompt medical care.

Rep. Vernetti personally raised over $17,000 from area businesses to fully fund the acquisition and installation of the box.

For more information about Safe Haven Baby Boxes, visit www.shbb.org.

Representative Jeff Vernetti, a Republican, represents Camden County (District 123) in the Missouri House of Representatives. He was elected to his first term in November of 2024. For more information, contact Rep. Vernetti at 573-751-1119 or by email at Jeff.Vernetti@house.mo.gov.