§587D-3 - Safe place for newborns.
[§587D-3] Safe place for newborns. (a) The personnel of a hospital, fire station, or police station, or emergency services personnel may receive a newborn child; provided that the newborn child was born within seventy-two hours of being left at the hospital, fire station, or police station, or with emergency services personnel as determined within a reasonable degree of medical certainty.
(b) When a person leaves a newborn child with the personnel of [a] hospital, fire station, or police station, or emergency services personnel, the personnel:
(1) Shall make every reasonable effort to solicit the following information from the person leaving the newborn child:
(A) The name of the newborn child;
(B) The name and address of the parent or person dropping off the newborn child;
(C) The location where the newborn child was born;
(D) Information pertaining to the newborn child's medical history;
(E) The newborn child's biological family's medical history, including major illnesses and diseases; and
(F) Any other information that might reasonably assist the department in determining the best interests of the newborn child, including whether the parents plan on returning to seek custody of the child in the future;
provided that refusal of the person leaving the newborn child to provide such information shall not prevent personnel from accepting the newborn child;
(2) May provide the person leaving the newborn child with information on how to contact relevant social service agencies; and
(3) Shall notify appropriate law enforcement agencies that a newborn child was received, for purposes of matching the child with missing children reports.
(c) If a hospital, fire station, or police station, or emergency services personnel receives a newborn child pursuant to subsection (a), any health care provider, firefighter, police officer, or emergency services personnel receiving the newborn child shall perform any act necessary, in accordance with generally accepted standards of their respective professional practice, to protect, preserve, and aid the physical health and safety of the newborn child during the temporary physical custody. [L Sp 2007, c 7, pt of §2]