SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb. — A newborn dropped off at Regional West Medical Center here under the safe haven law is healthy, hospital officials said.
The baby girl is the second child dropped off under the state's revised safe haven law, approved in 2008.
Under that law, a person can leave a child who is 30 days old or younger at a hospital and avoid prosecution.
Two women dropped off the baby about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday. The child was believed to be no more than 24 hours old, said Scottsbluff Police Capt. Kevin Spencer. The women spoke briefly with an emergency room admission clerk but gave little information when dropping off the infant, Spencer said.
Scotts Bluff County Attorney Tiffany Wasserburger filed documents in juvenile court asking that the child be declared abandoned and placed in the temporary custody of the state. A hearing on the request has been set for Tuesday in Scotts Bluff County Court.
The newborn was described in court documents as appearing healthy and well-nourished.
Her umbilical cord had been tied off with dental floss, but she apparently had not received medical care during or after her birth. The baby was to be held at the hospital for 48 hours.
Spencer said police were checking on the welfare of the mother, who was believed not to have received medical care after giving birth. Criminal charges were not being considered against the woman, who probably gave birth at home.
Spencer said the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services was notified, and that department, along with the Scotts Bluff County Attorney's Office, will oversee placement of the infant.
Children relinquished under the safe haven law may be returned to their families if reunification is deemed the best option for a permanent home. Or they may be placed for adoption, with expedited termination of parental rights.
The state's original safe haven law did not place an age limit on children who could be dropped off at local hospitals. That led to 36 children being dropped off, most of them teenagers.
World-Herald staff writer Leslie Reed contributed to this report.
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