CONTACT:
Jenna Lowe
201-383-1019
Jenna.lowe@hackensackumcpv.com
For Immediate Release
HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley Joins Statewide
‘Safe Haven’ Campaign to Protect Abandoned Babies
HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley is joining with the N.J. Department of Children and Families
and the New Jersey Hospital Association to raise awareness of New Jersey’s Safe Haven
program, designed to prevent the unsafe abandonment of infants by giving parents a safe
alternative in which to surrender a baby.
From now through June 15, ads will appear on NJ Transit buses throughout the state to educate
New Jerseyans about the Safe Haven alternatives at HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley and
other sites.
New Jersey’s Safe Haven Infant Protection Act safeguards unwanted babies from being harmed
from the dangers of abandonment. The law allows parents, or someone acting on the parents’
behalf, to legally and anonymously surrender an unwanted infant under 30 days old to any
hospital emergency room or police station in New Jersey. Parents will be safe from prosecution
if the baby has not been abused.
HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley has displayed new door markers and posters in its
emergency room as part of the statewide campaign.
“As a community hospital we take our responsibility to care for those in need very seriously”
said Chad Melton, CEO of HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley. “We are thrilled to partner with
N.J. Department of Children and Families and the New Jersey Hospital Association to ensure
that unwanted infants can be given up safely, legally and anonymously.”
The state provides a Safe Haven Hotline (1-877-839-2339) and Web site (www.njsavehaven.org)
with information and support for parents. Sixty-two infants have been safely surrendered since
the Safe Haven program was launched in August 2000, according to state officials.
“New Jersey’s hospital emergency departments are safety nets for the communities they
serve,” said Betsy Ryan, president and CEO of the New Jersey Hospital Association, a not-for-
profit trade organization. “As safe havens, they offer an alternative for parents unable to care
for their newborns.”
About HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley
HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley is a 128-bed, full-service, acute-care community hospital,
providing the same nationally recognized quality care for which Hackensack University Medical
Center is known. The hospital features all private patient rooms at no additional cost, a stateof-the-art obstetrical unit, an intensive/critical care unit, five operating rooms, one special
procedure room, and a cardiac catheterization laboratory. This inpatient hospital acts as an
anchor to many in-demand, outpatient services such as radiology, women's health and sameday surgery. For more, please visit www.hackensackumcpv.com
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