WEISER, Idaho — Weiser Memorial Hospital is officially moving forward with plans to install a Safe Haven Baby Box after a last-minute donation completed a years-long fundraising campaign, hospital officials announced.
The $29,000 campaign to bring the life-saving resource to Washington County reached its goal when a donor stepped in to cover the remaining balance, making Weiser Memorial Hospital just the third hospital in Idaho to offer a Safe Haven Baby Box.
WATCH: Learn more about the effort and the crucial need
“We just had a donor fund everything else,” said hospital CEO Beau McNeef,
McNeef said the moment was especially meaningful after years of planning and community outreach. He shared the news with hospital staff shortly after receiving confirmation of the donation.
“They’re going to cry, which is going to make my day,” McNeef said.
The effort has been led by emergency room staff members Emily McKenzie, the hospital’s ER nurse manager, and Corina Palmer, an emergency room technician. Both said the push for a baby box grew out of the realities they see in the region they serve.
“We really put a good faith effort out, and our community rallied behind us,” McKenzie said.
Palmer described the moment the campaign was completed as overwhelming.
“I just feel speechless,” she said.
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Safe Haven Baby Boxes provide a secure, climate-controlled and anonymous way for someone to surrender a newborn safely. Once the door is closed, hospital staff are alerted and retrieve the infant immediately to provide medical care.
Hospital officials say the need is real. Since 2017, Weiser Memorial Hospital has recorded seven involuntary infant surrenders. In 2023, the hospital recorded one voluntary surrender a decision officials say reflects families in crisis trying to do what they believe is best.
“There’s a lot of data that suggests in high-poverty areas that substance abuse increases, and it creates unsafe situations for children,” McKenzie said. “It increases the likelihood of children being abandoned or hurt.”
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Weiser Memorial Hospital serves Washington County and surrounding rural communities, including areas of eastern Oregon. Hospital leaders note that the nearest Safe Haven Baby Boxes are more than 300 miles away, making access especially difficult for families in crisis.
For Palmer, the impact of the project goes far beyond the hospital itself.
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“It means everything for the hospital, but most importantly, it means everything for the baby for the future the baby has, for the life the baby will live,” she said.
McNeef said the completed campaign reflects the hospital’s broader mission and the community’s support.
“We want folks to have that resource, and we’re stepping up to provide it,” he said.
Installation details for the Safe Haven Baby Box are expected to be announced in the coming months.
