“A Safe Haven for Newborns” began in response to the tragedy of newborn abandonment in Florida. The Gloria M. Silverio Foundation a 501(C)3 Florida not for profit organization established a program in 2001, called “A Safe Haven for Newborns”. We are not affiliated with any organizations and we "partner" with everyone.
The Florida Safe Haven Law was enacted in 2000 in response to an increasing number of newborn infants left to die in dumpsters, garbage cans, ditches, along lakes, canals and other hazardous places…Desperate young mothers who in great fear and mental distress have too often chosen the frantic path of abandoning their newborns only to face charges in the legal system. The unthinkable act of these young mothers not only destroyed the lives of these babies, it made them criminals. Two lives lost unnecessarily.
The Safe Haven Law is a safety net for both the mother and the newborn infant. It allows mothers, fathers or whoever is in possession of an unharmed newborn, approximately seven days old or less, to leave them at Safe Havens: any hospital, staffed fire rescue station, or staffed emergency medical service station, with no questions asked, totally anonymous, free from fear of prosecution. The Hospital will contact a participating private adoption agency who will then arrange placement of the newborn with a waiting family.
The hospitals, fire rescue stations and emergency medical service stations working to receive these babies coupled with the identity protection of the parent, make this law an effective tool in preventing unnecessary deaths of newborn citizens of the state of Florida.
The outreach to the communities in the state of Florida by The Gloria M. Silverio Foundation – “A Safe Haven for Newborns” organization is ongoing and provides the following:
• A comprehensive approach throughout each Florida community to promote and maintain awareness of the program.
• A toll free 24/7 multilingual-crisis referral help line.
• Public Service Announcements for: TV, Radio, Print media.
• Media events and interviews.
• Developing and distributing materials in English, Spanish and Creole.
• Developing Safe Haven for newborns awareness video(s).
• Public Access to our website as an information resource (www.asafehavenfornewborns.com).
• Billboard Promotions.
• Establishing local “A Safe Haven for Newborns” chapters in the 67 counties in Florida – Please contact us for how you can help in your area.
• Coordinating with the department of health, all hospitals, fire rescue and EMS stations regarding procedures and policies.
• Work with professionals to address the issues that contribute to these tragic societal events.
• Compile and maintain information and statistics regarding the effectiveness of the law.
• Be the primary information resource in Florida relating to this complex societal problem which affects people of all races, cultures and economic backgrounds.
Obviously these bills are not the final answer to the societal problems contributing to the cause of infant abandonment but they provide a compassionate approach to saving the lives of innocent and helpless babies. This law is a positive outcome for all involved: a child's life is saved; a mother or father is saved from a lifetime of guilt and anguish; the hopes of a family waiting to adopt a child are fulfilled.

We believed from the beginning, if only one life is saved, all our efforts are truly worthwhile!