AgdaPkt 2005-01-24 - Laserfiche WebLink

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535-2 The San Mateo County Health Services Department ("County Health Services") desires to improve access to places where infants may be safely surrendered and will propose to the County Board of Supervisors that all fire stations within the County become "Safe Havens" under the Newborn Abandonment Law due to ease of accessibility and a low level of intimidation. County Health Services has requested that each City/District in the County determine if its fire stations may be utilized as "Safe Haven" sites for the surrender of newborns. The Fire Chief and City Manager have determined that it is feasible and desirable to participate in the "Safe Haven" program should the County Board of Supervisors request that all fire stations located in the County serve as "Safe Haven" sites. If this resolution is adopted, the Redwood City Fire Department will utilize County Health Services Agency guidelines to instruct each _of our five fire stations on the procedural requirements for admitting a child into their care. The Department will provide training for fire personnel on the details of this policy. The plan for the Redwood City Fire Department's compliance proceeds as follows: Multi-lingual signage signifying the fire station's status as a "Safe Haven" site will be installed and clearly visible to passersby on the premises of each of the City's five fire stations. Upon receiving a surrendered infant, a medical questionnaire and information about the program will be provided to the surrendering parent. Completion of forms is not mandatory, but is strongly encouraged. Confidentiality is guaranteed and anonymity will be respected if requested. Upon arrival of the infant and parents at the station, a standard EMS (Emergency Medical Services) call would be initiated. During the process of treating or evaluating the child, the parent(s) would be given the opportunity to provide further information about the child's history. An ambulance response would be initiated by the medical call to transport the infant to a local county hospital. Coordination with other related agencies, such as Child Protective Services, would occur at the hospital. Outside the scope of the Fire Department's involvement, once Child Protective Services assumes custody of the infant, normal child abandonment procedures would be followed and every effort will be made to place .the infant in a temporary foster home or a with a pre- adoptive family. There is a guaranteed cooling-off period of 14 days during which the parent can reclaim the child. After this period has expired, the infant would be eligible for adoption. It is important to note that any infant surrendered under this law must be left directly in the custody of personnel at the official "Safe Haven" site. Should an infant be left at an unattended facility, an investigation will ensue and the parent, if located, will face prosecution under child abandonment charges. Redwood City's provider of liability coverage, Bay Cities Joint Powers Insurance Agency, has been consulted with respect to our participation in this program and has confirmed that we are covered to provide this service under our existing agreement.